Alfred's Castle, Ashdown House

Summary

A small roughly hexagonal enclosure, defended by a bank and outer ditch. Sherds of pottery suggest an Iron Age date. The position, size and shape of the earthwork are unlike any of the Berkshire hillforts, but are more like the sites chosen for a defended farmstead.

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Description

Alfred's Castle is an earthwork of roughly hexagonal shape consisting of a bank and outer ditch enclosing 1.2ha. (about 2.75 acres). The original entrance is in the south- east corner, but it is not certain if the gaps in the north-east and north-west sides are original or not, Colt-Hoare in 1819 mentions only two entrances. The site has not been excavated but sherds of Iron Age, Romano-British and possibly Saxon pottery have been found on the surface. There are traces of a structure of some sort, possibly a building in the interior. The position, size and shape of the earthwork are unlike any of the Berkshire hillforts, but are more like the type of site chosen for a defended farmstead or village.
Although not strictly a hillfort, not being on top of a hill, the defences are quite massive. These and the size of the earthwork equates it with the smaller Chiltern hillforts to the east, West Wycombe or Pulpit Hill for instance. The siting, on a slight rise, commands the break in the hill between Ashbury and Lambourn.
The possible Saxon pottery and other Saxon finds in the area suggest a probable secondary occupation during this period.
There are sarsen stones on the ramparts, some exposed by erosion, and in the ditch. Whether they were a revetment or just part of the construction is unclear. Aubrey said that the sarsen stones were taken from here to build Ashdown House, but it has been suggested that the enclosure described by him is in fact a ploughed out feature near Botley Copse and not this. (D and E Disbury. The History of Ashbury. Vol II).
The aerial photograph ( Allen AO/LP/63/161) reveals the ditch of a much larger enclosure to the north of Alfred's Castle, not visible on the ground. This may represent an extension to the settlement. A lot of late Iron Age pottery sherds have been found in this area suggesting that this enclosure was a later addition. These features may well be associated with the extensive field systems in the surrounding area. Surviving in the woods, and as crop marks in the fields.
Alfred's Castle was declared a Scheduled Ancient Monument in March 1958. It was given the Berkshire No. 89 and later the Oxfordshire No. 203.
Margaret Gelling in "Place Names of Berkshire, Part II" says that Ashbury means fort by the Ash trees, the burgh being the earthwork now known as Alfred's Castle. Grinsell says that the camp was called Ashberry Castle on a map on 1532 and was given the alternative names of "Alfred's Castle" and "Ashbury Camp" by Wise in 1738. It would appear that the name is an 18th century attempt to romanticize the place, connecting it to Alfred who had his capital at Wantage a few miles away to the east, and who fought a battle against the Danes at Ashdown in 871, although the precise of this battle is unknown.
Since this report was written the area of the Castle and part of the field to the north has been taken out of covenant and is now owned by the National Trust as part of the Ashdown House property.

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