It has been claimed that the hill was built at the order of Oliver Cromwell, whereupon his soldiers used their helmets to carry dirt to build the hill in celebration of the victory of the Battle of Worcester in 1651, but evidence for this seems lacking.

The setting of this ancient monument was significantly diminished by the building of the M5 motorway a very short distance away, further damage being caused by the widening of the A44, which was rebuilt to bypass the village.

It was then damaged again by the building on the north side of the Tump of the road going west to the new crossing of the River Severn south of Worcester.

Tump is Worcestershire dialect for a small hill and may be derived from the Welsh language word "Twmpath".

The parish of Whittington also includes the hamlet of Swinesherd, part of which was also lost to the building of the M5 motorway.