Possible Iron Age settlement discovered above town

A possible Iron Age farming settlement has been found above a town.

Experts have "rewritten the history" of Royal Wootton Bassett, in Wiltshire, following the discovery at Brynards Hill in Coronation Country Park.

Archaeological digs have revealed thatched huts once sat within a ditch and bank at the top of the hill.

David Carson, of the Royal Wootton Bassett Environmental Trust, said the find "points to" the area being a former Iron Age settlement, adding: "We have good evidence but we are waiting for an official report to be published, so nothing is 100% until that point. But I think that's where we are heading, I can safely say that."

People in Royal Wootton Bassett have long speculated that a plateau at the top of Brynards Hill could have been the site of an Iron Age hillfort.

The town council commissioned a geophysical survey in April 2025, which found there was a manmade circular ditch feature around the top of the hill.

"It was indicative of an an enclosure of some sorts," Carson explained. "But on the other hand, it could have been a Victorian farm feature. We didn't know for sure."

In May, Wiltshire Museum's archaeology field group excavated the site in a three-day dig across three trenches.

The excavation confirmed evidence of a circular bank and ditch enclosure. Pottery found in two of the trenches has been dated to the late prehistoric period, which puts the enclosure in the Iron Age 800BC to 43AD.

"It is always fascinating to read the land," Carson contiued. "We made the excavation open to the public as a community dig and had a lot of volunteers of all ages from the town and local villages.

"They were chuffed to bits to be excavating their own history."

Since the work was undertaken, Wessex Archaeology has suggested that, rather than a hillfort as some had theorised, Brynards Hill would more likely have been an Iron Age farming settlement.

The enclosure area was a safe place at night for the families and also their livestock, it said.

"We have, I hope, rewritten the history of Royal Wootton Bassett for the future," Carson continued. "We know this is an important site and now it will be in all the official records and won't be touched in the future, which is the most important thing."

David Dawson, director of Wiltshire Museum, said: "This was project developed by our volunteers working to professional archaeological standards.

"This was a fantastic community archaeology project, working with many local people to give them a taste of archaeology and the opportunity to uncover new evidence of the story of the town."

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