MONUMENT NO. 243207

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The earthwork remains of a small multivallate hillfort of Late Iron Age date located on the summit of King John's Hill. Partial excavation has uncovered pottery fragments dating to c100 BC and two infilled storage pits. The same excavations revealed pottery and building remains of the 13th and 14th centuries, which may relate to a hunting lodge supposedly built on the hill by King John. Further evidence, including building materials and an oven, indicate post medieval occupation of the site. Scheduled.

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(Centred at SU 7558 3770). King John's Hill. (GT). (1)

Authn. of published name and "It is supposed that King John had a house built on this hill for his use during the hunting season". (2)

The hill is a rough, oval, mound c.100 yards or more by 50 and stands c.70' above the surrounding area. It has been quarried for maulm. The top is flat and open and on three sides the slopes are 1 in 3 or 4 for 20-25 feet from the top Dr. Williams-Freeman saw no signs of a bank or ditch and could not be certain if the steep slope was natural or artificial. Trial trenches were dug 'last summer' (of 1939) by Major Ferguson, and Messrs. Curtis and Warner of Alton Museum. Everywhere under c.9 inches of plough soil there are signs of occupation floors of so-called mortar - sandy, gritty material with pieces of maulm-stone, plenty of oyster-shells, tile fragments and pot sherds, all of which appear to be Md. A sherd of a Bellamine jug was found. Three or four short lengths of walls of rough stone have been found and a stoke-hole, c.6 feet in length and 3 feet across, ending in an oven c.3 feet square built of squared stones, all showing charcoal and marks of fire. (3)

"one wall, running 36' across the hill from W.to E. Its thickness varies from 2-3 feet.... Typical Norman bits of pottery, nails, a bit of stag's horn and a good deal of molten
slag, especially from near the 'oven' and a couple of small metal ornaments, half a horse shoe and half of an arrow-head.... Our Sexton told me that he as a youth picked up 10 or 12 coins.... 'they had a king's head'.... when ploughing. What I call 'courtyard' - from various trial holes are revealing, at 15" or so below surface, rough stones set in mortar. The 'Oven'... of squared stones 9'6" long and 3'6" wide, the sides in the body of the oven sloping outwards and made of burnt clay or mortar". (4)

List of museum accessions includes: A note on the results and a plan of excavations by M.Maitland Muller. Two photographs of an IA pit. A replica of an IA. ring-headed pin and IA. pottery. Md. pottery, a cauldron foot, a schist hone presented by Maj. V. Ferguson. (5)

The trial examination of King John's Hill commenced in 1947 is now completed. The following provisional sequence of occupation on the top of the hill has been disclosed.

1. An IA. farm before or after 100BC. Two storage pits, subsequently used as rubbish tips, one producing a ring-headed pin: a scatter of flint chips and pottery.

2. 13/14th. century. Pottery; a schist hone and re-used diagonally-tooled ashlar blocks.

3. Between Tudor times and the 18th. century. Walls and rammed malm floors; an oven, tiles and early bricks.

A cutting was taken through the adjoining earthwork where contemporary debris from the hill might well have been washed into it when it was dug. This produced a 'Tudor' type brick deep in the secondary silting.

A full report will now be prepared. (6)

List of accessions includes: a Medallion, metal alloy, lozenge-shaped with loop, a cross on either side, found 100 yards from foot of King John's Hill, when digging a trench in 1937, presented by H.A.Munday. (7)

The hill is flat-topped, with steep slopes, heavily wooded and in thick undergrowth. At the summit are a number of unfilled trenches with accompanying spoil-heaps in which were seen walling of local malm-stone-tile, oyster-shells and Md. pot-sherds. No plan was available of these excavations (contrary to Authy. 8, the plan is not at Alton Museum, and no reply was received to a letter sent to Mr. Maitland Muller).

Halfway down the slopes of the hill, to the east and south is a shelf c.15.0m. wide which is possibly the 'earthwork' mentioned by the preceeding authorities. It appears to be natural and has been probably caused by the differential weathering of the underlying strata.

The site is a natural defensive position and an obvious occupation-site. The tradition of a hunting-lodge here is still current locally and the brief details of excavation lend it some support. However, the association with King John may be only the common legendary attribution prevalent in Hampshire. (8)

Iron Age Settlement. (L.B.). (site of) (T.I.). (9)

No change except that the excavation trenches centred at SU 7558 3772, are overgrown and no trace of walling remains to be seen. (10)

SU 75593769. The earthwork remains of a small multivallate hillfort of Late Iron Age date located on the summit of King John's Hill. Partial excavation has uncovered pottery fragments dating to c100 BC and two infilled storage pits. The same excavations revealed pottery and building remains of the 13th and 14th centuries, which may relate to a hunting lodge supposedly built on the hill by King John. Further evidence, including building materials and an oven, indicate post medieval occupation of the site. Scheduled. (11)

In 1374, John de Burghersh conveyed East Worldham to the King, who may have built a new lodge within Worldham Park. There is documentary evidence for minor works to the manr house, but none to a hunting lodge. (12)

SOURCE TEXT

( 1) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

OS 6" 1910

( 2a) Oral information, correspondence (not archived) or staff comments

( 2) Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Object Name Book reference

Rev. O.N.B., (1937), 1

( 3) Proceedings of the Hampshire Field Club and Archaeological Society

14, 1938-40 Page(s)398

( 4) Oral information, correspondence (not archived) or staff comments

( 5) Alton Museum Report

Alton Museum Report, No16, (1949), 18 16 Page(s)18

( 6) Alton Museum Report

Alton Museum Report No17, (1950), 5, (M.Maitland Muller) 17 Page(s)5

( 7) Alton Museum Report

Alton Museum Report, No18, (1951), 17 18 Page(s)17

( 8) Field Investigators Comments

F1 WCW 04-MAY-56

( 9) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

OS 25" 1967

(10) Field Investigators Comments

F2 FGA 01-APR-68

(11) Scheduled Monument Notification

EH Scheduling amendment, 10-OCT-2001

(12) R Allen Brown, H M Colvin and A J Taylor 1963 The history of the King's Works, volume 2 : the Middle Ages

Page(s)929

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