Trundle (hill fort)
| The Trundle | |
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 View of the Trundle |
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| Location: | The Trundle in West Sussex, England |
| Coordinates: | 50°53′33″N 0°45′14″W / 50.892585°N 0.753894°WCoordinates: 50°53′33″N 0°45′14″W / 50.892585°N 0.753894°W |
| Area: | 5.66 hectares (14.0 acres) |
| Built: | Iron Age |
| Reference #: | 246354[1] |
 Location of The Trundle
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Trundle (Old English: Tryndel, meaning "circle"[2][3]) is an Iron Age hill fort on Saint Roche's Hill about 3 miles (5 km) north of Chichester, Sussex, England.[4] Trundle is one of just four hill forts built in Sussex. The fort was built around a Neolithic causewayed enclosure, of which very little can be seen on the ground.
[edit] History
St. Roche's Hill has been used for several purposes, dating back to the Palaeolithic era [3]. The hill fort was a Neolithic causewayed enclosure before the Iron Age hill fort was built around the pre-existing structure. It is unknown for what purpose the fort was originally built, but the site was used in 1645 by the Clubmen as a military base and subsequently as a beacon site to warn against attack by the French. This beacon was lit in 1745, causing much alarm in the surrounding countryside.[3]
The hill was also the site of a small (around 11x14ft [3]) chapel, until it was left to ruin. It is thought the chapel was built at some point in the 15th century and destroyed during the Reformation.[5] A windmill was also present on the site of the hill-fort. It is not known when it was built, but in 1773, the windmill burnt down in a storm, along with a windmill on Portsdown Hill.[3]
The summit of St. Roche's Hill is now the site of two large radio masts.[2][3] A temporary sculpture of a horse's head was erected in late 2010.[6][7]
[edit] Archaeological excavations
During archaeological excavations of the hill fort, numerous objects have been discovered: Middle Iron-Age pottery, potboilers, human bones (an arm bone and a skull), animal bones (ox, horse, pig, dog, cat and sheep), charcoal, various iron objects (including a knife, a spearhead, an adze blade, a sickle, large iron rings and iron slag) and several quern fragments.[3]
[edit] References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: The Trundle |
- ^ "The Trundle". National Monuments Record. English Heritage. http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=246354. Retrieved 8 March 2011.
- ^ a b http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=5054
- ^ a b c d e f g http://www2.prestel.co.uk/aspen/sussex/trundle.html
- ^ 2.prestel history
- ^ http://www.westsussex.info/trundle-view.shtml
- ^ http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/8739642.35ft_horse_s_head_sculpture_graces_South_Downs/
- ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/gallery/2010/jun/29/nic-fiddian-green-giant-horse-sculpture
