Segsbury Camp

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Segsbury Camp is an Iron Age hill fort situated on the Berkshire Downs, near the Ridgeway above Wantage, in the Vale of White Horse district of Oxfordshire, England. It has an alternative name: Letcombe Camp, from the nearby village of Letcombe Regis.

The fort has extensive ditch and ramparts and has four 'gateways'.

Excavation at the site by Dr Phene, in 1871, discovered a cist grave on the south side of the hill fort rampart. The grave was floored with stone slabs and the sides were walled with flint. Finds included a shield boss and fragments of an urn or drinking cup. Among other finds were human bones and flint scrapers. It has been suggested that this was a secondary Anglo-Saxon burial, placed at the camp.

The site was re-excavated in 1996 and 1997. The report describes the periodic occupation of the hill fort between the 6th and 2nd centuries BC and suggests that it was a communal centre for various activities, including sheep management and exchange.

Location

The site is situated at Ordnance Survey six-figure grid reference SU 385845.

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