Monument record MDO1714 - Dogbury Camp in Dogbury Plantation, Minterne Magna

A bank and ditch across the top of a ridge with curves at each end and a gap which appear to be an original entrance. This monument is generally interpreted as the remains of an Iron Age enclosure, probably unfinished; it may be a cross dyke. In 1974 the bank was described as about 3 feet high and the ditch around 4 feet deep.

The earthwork in Dogbury Plantation occupies the top of a ridge and consists of about 130 yards of bank running northeast and having remains of a rounded angle at the southwest end. There is a slight inward curve at the north end. The rampart rises about 3 feet above ground-level to the north and about 7 1/2 feet above the bottom of the ditch on its southeast side. Towards the northeast end is a gap with causeway which seems to have been an original entrance. The general form of the work, with the existence of a rough scarp on the south, suggests an enclosure or small hill-fort, perhaps never completed, but in its present condition is more suggestive of a cross-dyke. <2>

The west and south ends of the earthwork have been heavily quarried. Re-examination of the site suggests that it is a type of fort intermediate between a cross-dyke and a simple embanked fort. <3>

The earthwork is situated upon the summit of Dogbury Hill and lies within woodland. The work comprises a south-east facing rampart of average width, 7.0m, and in height from 1.6 to 2.0m externally, with an outer ditch, 5.0m in width and 0.4 to 0.6m in depth. The rampart extends for 100.0m across fairly level ground before turning to the northwest at both ends. At the northern end, rampart and ditch turn as the gentle northeast facing slopes of the hill are reached, and extend for a few metres before gradually fading out. There is no evidence to show that the work remained unfinished at this point in that it does not cease abruptly or in an untidy manner. There are no ground indications of any continuance of the work to the west.

At the southern end, rampart and ditch turn to the north-west above gentle southwest facing slopes and, almost immedi ately, the ditch is destroyed by modern stone quarrying and the rampart is reduced to a scarp, 4.0 to 6.0m wide, 1.5m high, marking the limits of the quarry for some 50.0m before fading out on a quarry face. No further traces were found to the west.

The manner in which the work turns to enclose the hill-top and does not proceed onto the hillslopes at either end argues against it being a cross-ridge dyke. On the other hand, the shallow hill slopes, no steeper than 1.4 on the northeast and much less elsewhere, would demand all-round defence for this hilltop site. In the total absence of any such defence on the north-west and northeast sides and despite the manner in which the work presently terminates at the northern end, this would appear to be an uncompleted probable Iron Age defended enclosure.

As described above <2> there is an original, simple 2.0m wide causewayed entrance on the southeast. A wide breach further south, accommodating a farm track and side banks is of post Medieval date. Published 1:2500 AM survey revised. <5>

<1> Ordnance Survey, 1900, Ordnance Survey 25-inch map, epoch two (Map). SDO11594.

Camp (NR)

<2> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments England, 1952, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume I (West), 169-170 (Monograph). SDO97.

‘(7) EARTHWORK in Dogbury Plantation, ½ m. N. of the church, occupies the top of a ridge (800 ft.) and consists of about 130 yards of bank running N.E. and having remains of a rounded angle at the S.W. end. There is a slight inward curve also at the N. end. The rampart rises about 3 ft. above the ground-level to the N. and about 7½ ft. above the bottom of the ditch on its S.E. side. The work has been cut through by a roadway but to the N.E. of this is a gap and causeway which seems to have been an original entrance. The general form of the work, with the existence of a rough scarp to the S. of the roadway, might suggest an enclosure or small hill-fort, perhaps never completed, but in its present condition is more suggestive of a cross-dyke.’

<3> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1963, Monuments Threatened or Destroyed. A Select List: 1956-1962 (Monograph). SDO12558.

MINTERNE MAGNA
Dogbury Hill ST 660050 Trackways, within area of 6 acres.

<4> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, RCHM Ms File (unpublished revision of Dorset 1), No 7 & plan 22.9.76 (Unpublished document). SDO17382.

<5> Phillips, A S, Various, Field Investigators Comments ASP, F1 ASP 17-NOV-77 (Unpublished document). SWX3817.

<6> Historic England, Historic England Archive, 882526 (Index). SDO14738.

RCHME: Earthwork in Dogbury Plantation, Mintere Magna, Dorset. Annotations.

<7> Historic England, Historic England Archive, OS55/F167/7 (Index). SDO14738.

I.A. EARTHWORK IN DOGBURY PLANTATION, MINTERNE MAGNA. Photographer: unknown.

<8> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, Externally held archive: RCH01/088 RCHME Inventory: Dorset I (West) and Revision (Unpublished document). SDO17367.

<9> National Record of the Historic Environment, 198787 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Nov 25 2021 4:49PM