Longtown Village Defences

In the civil parish of Longtown. In the historic county of Herefordshire (Modern Authority of Herefordshire, 1974 county of Hereford and Worcester).

Earthworks considered to be part of a rampart have been observed to the W and E of the market place (SMR 19464, 19466). There was possibly some sort of protected entrance gate on the main road leading into the defended area. A report of the discovery of a stone gateway in c. 1960 to the S. of the defences is recorded (SMR 21943). This is supposedly to the S. of the defences, however, It is possible that either its interpretation as a gateway is incorrect or its position misremembered. The defences may be burh built beyond the Golden Valley by Earl Harold Godwinson in 1055-6

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SO322291

Air Photo from Air Photo and general mapping	1st edition OS Map from Mid to late 19th century maps
Modern Map from Landscape form and features	Modern Map from General location and route planning
Geograph British Isles occasionally has photos of the site and will usually give an idea of the surrounding landscape.

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's English Heritage (PastScape) Defra or Monument number is 105703
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 19464; 19466; 21945; 21946; 21943 'grey' literature, such as watching brief reports, held by H.E.R.s is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded in this website.

• Web site links
  • http://www.smr.herefordshire.gov.uk/db.php?smr_no=21945
    http://accessibility.english-heritage.org.uk/default.asp?wci=Node&wce=8027
    http://www.archenfield.com/Longtown.htm
• Books
  • Creighton, O.H. and Higham, R.A., 2005, Medieval Town Walls (Stroud: Tempus) p266
    Shoesmith, Ron, 1996, Castles and Moated Sites of Herefordshire (Logaston Press)
    Bond, C.J., 1987, 'Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Defences' in Schofield, J. and Leech, R. (eds) Urban Archaeology in Britain (CBA Research Report) p92-116
    Beresford, Maurice, 1967, New towns of the Middle Ages: town plantation in England, Wales and Gascony (New York) p451
• Journal Articles
  • Hickling, R., 1972, 'Deserted Medieval Villages, 1971, 1972, Report of Sectional Recorder' Transactions of the Woolhope Naturalists’ Field Club Vol40.3 p401
• Other sources, 'grey' literature, unpublished works, etc. (Theses, in-house reports and other such)
  • RCHME, 2003, Longtown, Herefordshire, Survey Report (Archaeological Investigation Report Series AI/26/2003), Swindon