Monument record 631 - Borough Hill Camp

The defences of the large hillfort are partly overlain by those of another, smaller, multivallate hillfort which occupies the northern part of the hill. Both hillforts are believed to have been constructed in the Iron Age.

{1} Situated on Borough Hill is a large natural eminence on the eastern edge of Daventry; the hilltop is oblong in shape and extends over 1.5km north to south, most of which is enclosed by the defences of a large multivallate hillfort; these are partly overlain by the defences of another smaller multivallate hillfort which occupies the northern part of the hill; both hillforts are believed to have been constructed in the Iron Age; the monument also includes those remains of both earlier and later date which lie within the hillfort; this includes 2 Bronze Age barrows, a Roman building complex and a barrow cemetery. Also included are the remains of a small defended enclosure of late Iron Age type lying 200m to the SE of the hillfort and linked to it by the remains of a hollow way; during the Anglo-Saxon and medieval periods the hillfort was used as pasture and in the C18th it was the site of a racecourse. In the C19th the hilltop was divided into small fields and cultivated, but since 1925 the BBC has operated a transmitting station from the hill.

{5}The hillfort known as Borough Hill Camp is one of the most important in the county, because of both the variety and the historical implications of the remains. Chance finds indicate occupation during much of the later prehistoric period, culminating in the great hill fort itself. The hillfort can be assigned to two separate periods. At the north end of the hill is a small roughly triangular fort bounded by a massive bank and ditch but the whole hill top is surrounded by a much smaller bank and ditch. The relationship between the two defence systems has never been clear and most authorities have assumed that the northern fort was earlier and that the contour fort was added later. However, as the present survey indicates, it is more likely that the outer contour fort was the earlier defence and that the main northern fort was a later addition. If this is so then the contour fort may be interpreted as a pre Iron Age fortification of a type recently identified elsewhere. During the Roman period there seems to have been much occupation here and the known remains include a large villa and a number of burial mounds. Two or perhaps three Saxon burials are recorded from the hill and, unusually, some Viking weapons. In the 10th century the hill fort is called a burh in a Saxon Charter but elsewhere in the same charter it is also termed the stod-fald perhaps indicating that it was used for livestock at that time. For most of the medieval period the hill was apparently pasture for the township of Daventry. In 1645 at least part of the Royalist army encamped there immediately before the Battle of Naseby. By the early 18th century the hill was used as a race course, races being held annually up to 1741 and then infrequently until 1801. After the enclosure of the parish in 1801 the hill was divided into fields and much of the summit was ploughed. A farm was then built on the north end of it and in the 1930s the site became a large BBC transmitting station. Recently a golf course has been made across the north part of the hill. As a consequence of this modern activity archaeological knowledge is fragmentary.

{6}Camp condition deteriorated after Inclosure but whole outline surveyed circa 1822 by Baker.

{8} Drone survey and geophysical survey was undertaken across the whole area of the hillfort.

{9} Dr Welsh of University College Northampton surveyed the site in 2001: he suggests that the main contour fort is Late Bronze Age or Early Iron Age in date, and that the southern fort was a mid to late Iron age free-standing earthwork. His investigation suggests a further 350 metres of low-profile eathworks thought not to have been previously identified at the site. Please see Archived Archaeology File AF00204 for details.

{11} A promontory hill-fort later extended into a contour fort. The original work - where extant - is in fair condition. Farming has obliterated the major portion of the later defences but a stretch on the south remains in good condition. See annotated survey.

The BBC Daventry Transmitting Station occupies the greater part of the interior, while across the northern end lies the Daventry Golf course. There are no remains of 'the small trench' (authy 12) and of the square earthwork only the north apex is extant; this is visible as a slight bank 0.2m high now impossible to classify.

{12} The condition of the work deteriorated after inclosure but the whole of the outline was surveyed c 1822 by Baker. He also showed 2 other features: (1) a 'small trench' SP 588623 (2) a square earthwork with a slight bank inside the ditch SP 58856296 (5). All finds from Borough Hill are in Northampton Museum. Descriptions.

{13} Borough Hill. An Iron Age earthwork of 2 constructional periods. At the north is a hill-fort with an immensely strong bank, ditch and counterscarp bank. Where it crosses the hill it is protected by 2 banks and ditches. Overlapping entrance to the south-east. Later a much slighter earthwork comprising a bank, ditch and counterscarp bank was built to enclose the whole hill. Date 3c BC - 1c AD.

{14} SP 589626. Borough Hill, Daventry. Listed in gazetteer as a multivallate hillfort covering 50ha.

<1> English Heritage, 1994, English Heritage Scheduling Notification, SAM 17145 (part checked) (Report). SNN1342.

<2> BROWN A.E., 1991, Early Daventry (An Essay In Early Landscape Planning), (unchecked) (Book). SNN57948.

<3> Borough Hill Electricity Masts, (unchecked) (Plan). SNN57971.

<4> 1961, H.M.S.O. List, (unchecked) (Uncertain). SNN8489.

<5> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1981, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.63 (checked) (Series). SNN77381.

<6> 1955, OS 6 INCH MAP, (unchecked) (Map). SNN15147.

<7> Cadman, G., 2011, Borough Hill, (checked) (Photographic prints (COL)). SNN107666.

<8> Walford, J & Ladocha, J, 2020, Archaeological geophysical and drone survey at Borough Hill, Daventry Northamptonshire (Report). SNN112766.

<9> Welsh T.C., 2001, Borough Hill, Daventry, Northamptonshire SP586625-591625. Analytical Interpretation Of The Southern (Report). SNN101254.

<10> Edgar W., 1923, Borough Hill & Its History, pp.30-1 (unchecked) (Book). SNN47010.

<11> Colquhoun, FD, 1969, Field investigators comments (Notes). SNN112950.

<12> Serjeantson R.M.; Ryland W. (Editors), 1906, The Victoria History of the Counties of England: Northamptonshire, p.398-99 (checked) (Series). SNN100369.

<13> Thomas, N, 1960, Guide to Pre England, p. 159 (Book). SNN114271.

<14> Hogg, AHA, 1979, British Hillforts: an index, p. 189 (Journal). SNN114272.

<15> Aerial Photograph, A/P (RAF CAP CPE/UK/1994 2267-8) (Photographs). SNN112974.

<16> 1971, Archaeological Excavations (Various Years), p. 11-12 (Series). SNN15160.

<17> RCHME, Undated, RCHME Inventory: Northamptonshire II (Central) (Archive). SNN112900.

<18> RCHME, Undated, RCHME Inventory: Northamptonshire II (Central), 889361, 890813, AF00204 (Archive). SNN112900.

<19> Historic England, Undated, SOUTH END OF BOROUGH HILL .POSSIBLE PROMONTORY FORT EXTENDED TO CONTOUR FORT.SEE ALSO AO60/381/4,382/3, BB76/08387 (Archive). SNN114274.

Record last edited

Feb 3 2025 8:43PM