Iron Age Fort
Iron Age Fort .... or Medieval Forestry
Venture into one section of Oakley Wood and explore the banks and ditches which are
thought by some academics and local historians to be the remains of an Iron Age Fort
or Settlement. It is roughly triangular in form, though it actually has five sides
and covers approximately 9 acres.
On the North side it still has quite formidable consisting of a rampart which is
12 ft in height and 27 ft wide at the base - in some places, a second rampart and
ditch are visible, possibly constructed to protect a clan or family. All around
this area of the wood are more banks and ditches which could have formed outworks
to the main fort.
This was discounted by one archaeologist as the shape of the earthworks is not consistent
with Iron Age hill forts in Warwickshire and it appears to be linked to other ditches,
again not consistent with Iron Age hill forts. The alternative theory in the light
of the inconsistencies is that the feature is part of medieval or later woodland
management. Fieldwork would be necessary to provide more data about the earthworks.
They are currently a Scheduled Ancient Monument, probably based on the interpretation
of the banks and ditches as a hill fort.
Unfortunately no artifacts have as yet been uncovered. All assumptions are based
purely on observation.
The word Oakley itself means 'clearing in the wood' and appears to be of Saxon origin
with the word 'wood' incorrectly added later.
