Prior to any disturbance of the ground to investigate archaeological remains, it was important to carry out appropriate survey work. On Garway Hill Common, the following types of survey were carried out in order to identify features of interest and locations for excavation :

1) A walkover survey across the Common in late April and early May 2006 with a hand held Global Positioning System (GPS) unit was used to record the location of features encountered. As the vegetation upon much of the Common consists predominantly of bracken with very little open grassland, this made some areas rather inaccessible. Survey coverage was therefore not complete. Nevertheless, the walk-over survey identified many features within the Common that served to illustrate the intensive use of the land resource through the prehistoric, medieval, post-medieval and modern periods, i.e. quarries, lynchets, earthworks, settlement features and hollow ways.

2) Topographic surveys were carried out in mid-May 2006 of the previously-known rectangular enclosure on the eastern side of the Common and of a smaller enclosure discovered during the walk-over survey near the southern edge of the Common and the area known as White Rocks.

3) A geophysical resistivity survey also took place in mid May 2006 within the larger enclosure to try to identify any subsurface features. This showed some useful anomalies, which were conjectured to be the foundations of dwellings and other features, and the results were subsequently used to determine the location of the trenches which were dug when proper excavation got under way in June 2006.

The locations of all features recorded on the initial survey and the results of the geophysical examinations are shown in the full report produced by Herefordshire Archaeology.

Download the Full Report (.pdf, 462kb)

The initial walkover survey in early 2006, followed by the topographical and geophysical investigations specific to the enclosure site made it all the more compelling as a dig project. The results were used to determine the best location to place trenches. The topographic survey results were plotted on a plane table to produce scale drawings of the banks and ditches.

The dig took place in June 2006. The geophysical survey within the rectangular enclosure had showed anomalies, which could be the foundations of dwellings, and the survey results were used to determine the location of the 5m x 5m Trench 1 excavation. The objective of this trench was to determine the presence of any features relating to settlement . Excavations were also carried out across the enclosure bank and ditch along the western boundary (Trench 2) and over the enclosure ditch directly east of what was believed to be the original entrance to the enclosure (Trench 3). The aim of the 8m x 2m Trench 2 excavation was to determine the structure of the enclosures defences. Trench 3 was intended to uncover the ditch terminal and any material associated with it. It was hoped that all three trenches might also provide dating evidence.

In Trench 1, the foundations of a round or oval structure were revealed. The interior of the structure had a compact clay floor with charcoal inclusions. The foundations of the structure survive as a partially stone filled foundation cut that may have supported a wood or wattle and daub structure.

Trench 2 revealed the bank and ditch's construction. The ditch was cut into the natural sandstone bedrock, the material produced employed in the construction of the bank that may have had a timber revetment. The ditch was v-shaped and was cut to about.1.5m deep and 3m wide.

Trench 3 clarified the position of the original entrance by unearthing the ditch terminal. The ditch terminal provided the greatest opportunity for the discovery of finds associated to the enclosure. It was v-shaped, and produced two distinct layers of pottery at the base of the trench. Specialist analysis has produced a date of middle Iron Age to late Iron Age. The ditch terminal indicates the presence of the entrance. The ditch was deliberately in-filled with stone material. On initial excavation the trench was covered in a layer of mixed rounded and angular cut stone, this has been interpreted as the collapsed remains of a stone faced rampart. However, the collapse of the material may be deliberate due to its unnatural appearance within the ditch It appears that only the eastern side of the enclosure had a stone revetment against the bank, because excavation across the bank and ditch in Trench 2 did not reveal any stone. The stone fronting at the approaching side of the enclosure may originally have been a sign of prestige, with the aim to impress those approaching from the east and south.

As a community project this dig was an outstanding success. For two weeks in a June heatwave local volunteers came from all around. Friendships were made and new archeolgical skills were learned from the experts from Herefordshire Archeology. On one hand it was a great social occasion, yet it also produced research work of lasting merit which will benefit future generations in understanding the history of the hill. It has also proved to be the catalyst for the formation of the Garway Heritage Group which will continue to explore the history of the area through a mixture of coventional research and further projects like this one. The group has produced a book "Garway Hill through the Ages" which contains a detailed chapter on the dig and what it reveals about human habitation on Garway Hill in the Iron Age.

Download the Full Report (.pdf, 10.3Mb)

There is ample evidence for the occupation of Garway Hill by early peoples. One of the most prominent archaeological features on the Common is a substantial bank and ditched enclosure settlement measuring about 90m square. The ramparts survive to a height of 2m and are 4-5m wide in places. Although no features remain visible on the surface to indicate any structural presence, the scale of the bank and ditch earthworks might suggest that the enclosure dates back to the Iron Age, and perhaps indicates a defensible farmstead.

This enclosure was the subject of an archeological dig in June 2006, funded by the Garway Hill Commoners Association with financial help from the Heritage Lottery Fund. Expert supervision was provided by Herefordshire Archaeology and volunteer labour was drawn from the local community.

(More about the dig and what was found)

Recent aerial photography has also indicated the presence of a second previously unknown settlement enclosure in the southwest sector of the Common. This smaller, at 30m square, and has only 3 sides clearly delineated. The interior is of particular interest as the slope of the hill has been levelled into a series of terraces, one of which shows traces of the remains of a stone structure or its foundations. This enclosure has not been the subject of any prior archeological investigations.

Download the Full Report (.pdf, 143kb)

Earthworks on Garway Hill Common that appear to relate primarily to the Medieval period consist of land management features - field boundaries and field systems. There is a series of low stone and earth banks spaced 12-14m apart running down the slope from the Iron Age enclosure which gradually peter out as they approach the Common edge. As field boundaries these are mysterious since the effect of ploughing downhill would, over time, cause the soil to migrate downslope.

There is evidence of a demarcation between parts of the hill used for arable production and as pasture for animals. A sinuous bank and ditch boundary runs from the Black Pool and may mark the extent of intensive farming on the Common during the Medieval period.

Within the west and north of the common there is evidence of strip lynchets or agricultural terraces on the hill slope to aid ploughing. A series of platforms set amongst the lynchets are also enigmatic. Devoid of surface features they give no immediate clue to their purpose, but seem certain from their position to be related to agricutural activities of some sort.

Medieval agriculture on the higher slopes of Garway Hill was probably abandoned for some time following the general population collapse which accompanied the Black Death in the 14th century. In fact the total population of Herefordshire remained below pre-Black Death levels until the 19th century, which placed less pressure on land use for several centuries. Since the lower land in the river valleys was more fertile it made greater sense to cultivate that first, and high level farming became unnecessary.

Download the Full Report (.pdf, 212kb)