Wiltshire Council’s Archaeology Service organises a project to clear vegetation from three of Wiltshire’s ancient monuments

Wiltshire has some of England’s most important and well-known ancient monuments. Many are designated as Scheduled Monuments, meaning they are legally protected due to their historical and archaeological importance. However, sometimes they can be harmed by natural processes such as tree and scrub growth, and burrowing animals, which can damage important buried archaeological remains and hide our history from view.

This winter a community project with local volunteers was organised by the Archaeology Service of Wiltshire Council to remove the scrub over three of Wiltshire’s ancient monuments. Community volunteers were organised by the Friends of Ancient Monuments (FOAM), part of the Council for British Archaeology Wessex, and the project was funded by Historic England.

The first of the three monuments to be removed of scrub was an Early Bronze Age (1,800 – 1,500 BC) disc barrow on Burderop Down, near Chiseldon, Swindon. It is a rare type of monument but is a very well-preserved example, despite having been partially excavated in 1977. It comprises a central mound with dimensions of 20m by 10m and 1m high, surrounded by a ditch and outer bank.

The disc barrow was at risk due to scrub and tree growth and past issues with off-road motorbikes driving over the earthwork. The hawthorn trees growing on the monument were therefore cut and removed and it is now hoped that the monument will be grazed by sheep to deter future regrowth.

The second monument to be cleared is a ringwork at Cam’s Hill which is thought to be one of several siegeworks around the town of Malmesbury during the ‘Anarchy’ period, when Stephen and Matilda contested the succession to Henry I in the 12th-century. The monument has a 1.5m deep and 4m wide external ditch and a distinctive horseshoe shaped internal bank, 18m wide and around 1.8m high. It has never been excavated, although it bears close similarity to other similar monuments of this period in the south of England.

Since being fenced off, the monument has become largely overgrown with scrub and bramble, so the vegetation was cleared by volunteers in January and March 2023. The monument has now been cleared and is far more visible and legible to those passing on the adjacent public footpath. It is now hoped that livestock will graze the monument and deter re-growth.

The third monument is a group of four medieval lynchets at Southmill Hill, Amesbury, which survive remarkably well and are prominent features on the periphery of Amesbury, especially for those driving along the A345. The lynchets are medieval in date and result from deliberate terracing of the steep hillslope for cultivation. They provide a distinctive survival of past agricultural activity as they are up to 15m wide, separated by steep sections of bank which range in height from 2m to 5.5m.

The monument has been in steady decline for several decades due to unchecked scrub and tree growth following the cessation of grazing. The scrub growth has also harboured anti-social behaviour and there was evidence for ‘campfires’ and hideaways, with associated littering, that has harmed the monument.

Over two separate days in February, volunteers largely cleared the scrub and small trees from the northernmost and largest of the four lynchets. This is a long-term project, and it is hoped that the clearance work will recommence in autumn 2023.

The project was a great success and achieved what it set to do. As well as removing the risk of damage to these monuments from unruly scrub, all three monuments are now significantly more visible to those using public footpaths and other public rights of way. There has been excellent public engagement with thirty-eight volunteers participating in the project. They all enjoyed the experience and found it very rewarding. The Archaeology Service hopes to identify further monuments for clearance in the next few years…so if you would like to volunteer, we would love to hear from you! If you are interested in volunteering, please contact the Archaeology Service at archaeology@wiltshire.gov.uk.

Roland J C Smith, Assistant County Archaeologist
Archaeology Service