Kimsbury hill fort, also known as Castle Godwyn, Kimsbury Camp, Painswick Beacon or Painswick hill fort is an Iron Age hill fort on Painswick Beacon near Painswick in the Cotswolds, Gloucestershire England.[1]
Etymology
The name 'Kimsbury' is first attested in the period 1263–84 in the forms Kynemaresburia and Kynemaresbury. These names derive from an Old English name that can be reconstructed as *Cynemǣres burh ('Cynemǣr's fortification').[2] The name Castle Godwyn seems to be later: the hillfort is referred to simply as 'Castle' in 1327, with the name 'Castle Godwyn' first being attested in 1779.[3]
History and topography
The interior has been extensively quarried and parts are now a golf course, but much remains of the ramparts.[4] Though there have been problems of erosion.[5]
The hill fort has been dated to the first century BCE[6] and is a scheduled monument.[7] Pottery, coins and other archaeological finds have been found dating from the Iron Age through to the 3rd century CE in the Roman era.[6]
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The ramparts with a view of Gloucester in the distance. -
Part of Painswick Golf Course inside the inner rampart
References
- ^ British History retrieved 4 April 2015
- ^ "Kimsbury :: Survey of English Place-Names". epns.nottingham.ac.uk. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
- ^ "Castle Godwyn :: Survey of English Place-Names". epns.nottingham.ac.uk. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
- ^ Prehistoric Gloucestershire: Forests and Vales and High Blue by Timothy Darvill
- ^ BBC retrieved 4 April 2015
- ^ a b pastscape retrieved 4 April 2015
- ^ stroud.gov retrieved 5 April 2015 Archived 2015-04-09 at the Wayback Machine
Further reading
- "Painswick", in Ancient and Historical Monuments in the County of Gloucester: Iron Age and Romano-British Monuments in the Gloucestershire Cotswolds (London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1976), pp. 91-94.
Media related to Painswick hill fort at Wikimedia Commons