Berry Ring
{{Short description|Iron Age hillfort in Staffordshire, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox ancient site
|name = Berry Ring
|native_name =
|alternate_name =
|image = View from Stafford Castle - geograph.org.uk - 1136249.jpg
|image_size = 240px
|alt =
|caption = A distant view of Berry Ring (left of picture), seen from Stafford Castle
|map_type = Staffordshire
|map_alt =
|map_size = 200px
|location = near Stafford, Staffordshire
|altitude_m =
|region =
|coordinates = {{coord|52.7879|-2.1685|display=inline,title|type:landmark_region:GB}}
|gbgridref = SJ 887 212
|type = Hillfort
|part_of =
|length =
|width =
|area = {{convert|3|ha}}
|height =
|builder =
|material =
|built =
|abandoned =
|epochs = Iron Age
|cultures =
| designation1 = Scheduled monument
| designation1_number = 1013163
| designation1_date = 17 March 1926
}}
Berry Ring (also known as Bury Ring) is an Iron Age hillfort in Staffordshire, England, lying some two miles southwest of the county town of Stafford, a mile to the southwest of Stafford Castle and half a mile to the west of the M6 motorway.
Description
File:Berry Ring Digital Terrain Model.jpg
It is a univallate hillfort, roughly oval in shape, on the northern part of elevated land north of the village of Billington. The defences, following the contours of the ground, enclose an area of about {{convert|3|ha}}.{{NHLE|num=1013163 |desc=Berry Ring hillfort|access-date= 16 May 2021}}
The rampart is about {{convert|1.5|m}} high in the south-east, elsewhere about {{convert|0.2|m}} high. The outer ditch is up to {{convert|18|m}} wide and {{convert|4|to|4.7|m}} deep. A counterscarp bank can be seen in the north, west and south, most clearly in the north-west where it is {{convert|1|m}} high and {{convert|14|m}} wide. The original entrance is thought to be in the south; its features are unclear because of sand and gravel extraction in recent times. There are other later entrances.
There is a spring-fed pond within the fort at the north-east side. There have been chance finds around the interior of flints, Iron Age pottery and medieval pottery.
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=4979 Berry Ring, Staffordshire]
- [https://www.roman-britain.co.uk/celtic/berry-ring/ Berry Ring, Roman Britain]
- [http://www.search.staffspasttrack.org.uk/Details.aspx?&ResourceID=2281 An image of Berry Ring from 1926]
- [https://www.geograph.org.uk/gridref/SJ%208862%202118 Images and a map of the area]
{{Iron Age hillforts in England}}
Category:Hill forts in Staffordshire
Category:Iron Age sites in England