Monument record MDO18644 - Dorchester Middle School; Pit circle henge

A hengiform pit ring was found by AC archaeology during works at Dorchester Middle School, Coburg Road, Dorchester in 1998. It comprised an oval ring of pits, aligned E-W with a series of larger pits around the perimeter. A large number of stakeholes were found across the area of this monument. A small quantity of knapping waste was recovered from the pits. This monument is probably of Late Neolithic date.

A hengiform pit ring was found by AC archaeology during works at Dorchester Middle School, Coburg Road, Dorchester in 1998 (*).

This hengiform monument comprised an oval ring of pits aligned roughly E-W, with a series of larger pits around the outer perimeter. A large number of stakeholes across the area of the henge, mainly around the perimeter, in and around the pits. The inner row of thirteen pits were oval in shape with flat bases, 0.6m deep. These pits were generally similar in size and regularly spaced, except for a gap in the east side and in the northeast, where several pits had run together. The outer ring comprises eight oval pits, which are more irregularly spaced. These pits were larger than the inner row of pits, with steep sides and flat bases, 0.5m deep. Some knapping debris was recovered from the pits. The dating evidence is uncertain, but the monument is probably Late Neolithic.

<1> McMahon, P, 1998, Dorchester Middle School, Coburg Road. Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society (Article in serial). SDO9448.

<2> AC Archaeology, 1998, Dorchester Middle School (Excavation archive). SDO10076.

Record last edited

Jan 22 2007 5:30AM