Silbury Hill

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Selburie

In the civil parish of Avebury. In the historic county of Wiltshire (Modern Authority of Wiltshire, 1974 county of Wiltshire).

Late Neolithic flat-topped conical mound which stands to a height of some 37m above an encircling quarry ditch. The summit has seen several later episodes of disturbance, including some form of revetment of late Saxon date (late Saxon or early Norman potsherds were found, as was a coin of circa 1010). The most recent excavations, on the summit, in the summer of 2007, found a massive post hole - possibly for a watch tower - dated to the C11. Jim Leary, the field archaeologist responsible tentatively associated this work with the Saxon-Danish wars and with the battle of East Kennet of 1006 recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.
Atkinson's discovery of a late Saxon palisade on the hill summit, confirmed by Leary's new excavations, show that the early C11 Saxon's were capable and willing to build mound based fortifications, at least to supervise the strategically important Roman road (Now the A4). The Norman motte was not a novel form of building for the Saxons although it was probably used in an entirely novel way, as a symbol of personal dominion, rather than a feature of community defence. There seems to be no evidence of a fortification on Silbury after the Conquest.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SU10016853

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 220743
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is SU06NE119 '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://accessibility.english-heritage.org.uk/default.asp?wci=Node&wce=8034
    http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/conProperty.310
    http://history.wiltshire.gov.uk/smr/getsmr.php?id=7633
• Books
  • Endacott, Alan and Kelleher, Susan (eds), 2004, Heritage Unlocked; Guide to free sites in Bristol, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire (London: English Heritage) p85-7
    Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of Wessex (Malvern) p100
    Whittle, A., 1997, Sacred Mound, Holy Rings. Silbury Hill Hill and the West Kennet Palisade Enclosures: A Later Neolithic Complex in North Wiltshire (Oxford: Oxbow) p22
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p278 [slight]
    Caroline Malone, 1989, English Heritage book of Avebury p95-104
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p502 [possible]
    Atkinson, R.J.C., 1978, 'Silbury Hill' in Sutcliffe, R. (ed), Chronicle: Essays from Ten Years of Television Archaeology (London: BBC) p170
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
    Pugh, R.B. and Crittall, Elizabeth (ed), 1957, VCH Wiltshire Vol1 pt1 p36
• Journal Articles
  • Creighton, O.H., 2000, 'Early Castles in the Medieval Landscape of Wiltshire' Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine Vol93 p112
    Atkinson, R.J.C., 1970, 'Sibury Hill 1969-70' Antiquity Vol44 p313-14
    Downman, E.A. and Goddard, E.H., 1919 'Plans of Wiltshire Earthworks' Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine Vol40 p352
    1914, Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol69 p135-7
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/wilshireeng.html#wilts19]
    Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p500
• Other sources, 'grey' literature, unpublished works, etc. (Theses, in-house reports and other such)
  • Locke, Bill (Executive Producer), 2007, Silbury: the Heart of the Hill (Lion Television/All3Media for BBC4 Television) - TV programme first televised 21 October 2007
    1969, BBC Chronicle television programme, presented by Magnus Magnusson, of R. Atkinsion's excavation. http://www.bbc.co.uk/wiltshire/content/articles/2005/12/05/pwaod_silbury_feature.shtml