Monument record MDO1426 - Stone, Litton Cheney

A destroyed cromlech, only the capstone remains; on LYTTON DOWN, 100 yds. N. of the IX milestone on the DORCHESTER - BRIDPORT road. <1>

[SY 55089181. JWS] 1. Cap. Stone:- 9' x 6 1/2' x 1'. (Warne. 130) Unproven. <3>

Megalith lying flat and partly imbedded in the ground. It is of irregular form about 8ft by 7 ft by about 1 1/2 foot thick. <4>

Destroyed, if this was a long barrow. There is now a single recumbent stone. <5>

The remains of this chamber consist solely of the sarsen capstone. This lies flat and partly embedded in the ground, and is of rectangular shape, 2.5m x 1.7m. The thickness could not be determined.

There is no visible mound which could be associated with the feature, but the grass covered field shows much evidence of surface quarrying which would probably have destroyed it. <6>

The field was to have been ploughed, before removing the 'megalith' investigation took place. An area round the 'cromlech' was cleared down to natural chalk. No sign of a socket or of other stones was observed, and the stone would appear to have a natural origin. <7-8>

<1> Warne, C, 1872, Ancient Dorset (Monograph). SDO10094.

<2> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 6in, 1903 (Map). SWX1540.

CROMLECH [OE] (Remains of)

<3> Crawford, O G S, Oral information, correspondence (not archived) or staff comments: O G S Crawford, 17-MAR-1950 (Verbal communication). SDO18359.

<4> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments England, 1952, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume I (West) (Monograph). SDO97.

‘(15) MEGALITH, 25 yards W.S.W. of (14 b), is lying flat and partly imbedded in the ground. It is of irregular form, about 8 ft. by 7 ft. by about 1½ ft. thick. (C. Warne, Ancient Dorset, 136).’

<4.1> Daniel, Glyn E, 1950, The Prehistoric Chamber Tombs of England and Wales, 236 (Monograph). SDO18028.

<5> Grinsell, L V, 1935-54, Dorset Barrows 1935-54 Manuscript (Unpublished document). SWX1556.

<6> Quinnell, N V, Various, Field Investigators Comments NVQ, F1 NVQ 27-APR-55 (Unpublished document). SDO11903.

<7> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1957, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1956, 84 (Serial). SDO56.

<8> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1959, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1958, 169-77 (Serial). SDO58.

<9> Grinsell, L V, 1959, Dorset Barrows (Monograph). SDO132.

LITTON CHENEY | I | N. of M.S. Bridport 6 | SY55099181 | destroyed | ? | - | Single recumbent stone; site of chambered long barrow ? Excavation by JSW in 1956 revealed no other stone-holes and no other archaeological features. PCTEW, 236; Dorset Proc lxxviii, 84.’

<10> National Record of the Historic Environment, 451037 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Oct 31 2023 7:03AM