Monument record MDO1960 - Enclosure on Lower Down, Piddletrenthide

An enclosure of Iron Age/Romano-British date. A sub-rectilinear banked enclosure with an external ditch is visible as an earthwork on Environment Agency lidar imagery. The feature was digitally plotted during the Dorset Upper Cerne and Piddle Valleys AIM project.

This enclosure is on a gentle south facing slope, the south side being on the valley bottom. Its SE angle cuts through an
E-W lynchet which is probably part of the adjoining Iron Age/Romano-British field system (ST 60 SE 64), dating the
enclosure to the Iron Age or later. <2>

Enclosure (693011), on Lower Down, lies at about 450 ft above OD on a gentle slope on the N side of a dry valley. An area of 1 1/2 acres with straight sides of unequal length is bounded by a bank 3 1/2 ft high and 10 ft wide, with an external ditch 1 1/2 ft deep and of similar width, except on part of S side where a double scarp 3 ft high replaces the bank. This scarp is not connected with a similar scarp to the E, in the same alignment but at a lower level; the latter is apparently the result of flint digging. An entrance 15 ft wide occurs in the S side of the enclosure and has a circular, enbanked pond 4 ft deep outside it. Internal features include traces of a scarped platform near the centre of W side, and a semicircular scarp, 1 1/2 ft high and 30 ft across, 30 yds E of the entrance; both features are probably building sites. Lying against the N side is a broad terrace 40 ft wide and 116 ft long with a scarp 10 ft high on the S. The enclosure is probably later than the fragmentary 'Celtic' fields (Group 38) in the area (Dorset Procs XXXII (1912), 41). <4>

Although the outline of this earthwork is clearly visible at a distance, there are no surveyable remains, the feature having been ploughed-out. The course of the ditch is marked by a band of sparse, brownish grass and that of the bank by green, richer grass. The scarp of the terrace on the north side of the interior remains, but reduced to a height of 0.8m, covered in nettles. 1:2500 revised - (Detail deleted). <5>

A sub-rectilinear banked enclosure with an external ditch is visible as an earthwork on Environment Agency lidar imagery. 104m long along its west side by 80m wide on its south side. A possible entrance on the south side, the north side breached by a later trackway which follows down through the south entrance. A possible outer bank is visible on the west side but this is faint and uncertain. A section of possible outer bank is also visible on the south side. Within the enclosure is an L-shaped linear bank which appears to be part of a further linear north of and outside the enclosure and running perpendicular to it. This feature might be part of a later prehistoric field system recorded under MDO1975, rather than an internal feature of the enclosure. Internal variation is visible on lidar but not in sufficient clarity to map confidently. This would merit further ground survey. The feature was digitally plotted during the Dorset Upper Cerne and Piddle Valleys AIM project. <12>

<1> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1912, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Antiquarian Field Club, 41-42 (Serial). SDO22.

<2> Quinnell, N V, Various, Field Investigators Comments NVQ, F1 NVQ 23-FEB-55 (Unpublished document). SDO11903.

<2.1> Royal Air Force, 11-APR-1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1974 2372-3 (Aerial Photograph). SDO18898.

<3> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 6in, 1962 (Map). SWX1540.

(ST 69320108) Enclosure (NR)

<4> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume III (Central) Part 2, 221-2 (Monograph). SDO136.

'(63) ENCLOSURE (693011), on Lower Down, lies at about 450 ft. above O.D. on a gentle slope on the N. side of a dry valley. An area of 1½ acres with straight sides of unequal length is bounded by a bank 3½ ft. high and 10 ft. wide, with an external ditch 1½ ft. deep and of similar width, except on part of the S. side where a double scarp 3 ft. high replaces the bank. This scarp is not connected with a similar scarp to the E., in the same alignment but at a lower level; the latter is apparently the result of flint digging. An entrance 15 ft. wide occurs in the S. side of the enclosure and has a circular, embanked pond 4 ft. deep outside it. Internal features include traces of a scarped platform near the centre of the W. side, and a semicircular scarp, 1½ ft. high and 30 ft. across, 30 yds. E. of the entrance; both features are probably building sites. Lying against the N. side is a broad terrace 40 ft. wide and 116 ft. long with a scarp 10 ft. high on the S. The enclosure is probably later than the fragmentary 'Celtic' fields (Group 38) in the area (Dorset Procs. XXXIII (1912), 41).

<5> Phillips, A S, Various, Field Investigators Comments ASP, F2 ASP 15-JUL-77 (Unpublished document). SWX3817.

<6> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, Externally held archive: RCH01/096 RCHME Inventory: Dorset III (Central) (Unpublished document). SDO17384.

<7> Historic England, Historic England Archive, 882395 (Index). SDO14738.

RCHME: Enclosure on Lower Down, Piddletrenthide, Dorset

<8> Historic England, Historic England Archive, CC74/00394A (Index). SDO14738.

PLAN OF PROBABLE IRON AGE ENCLOSURE

<9> Historic England, Historic England Archive, OS55/F44/1 (Index). SDO14738.

NORTHERN PART OF PROBABLE IRON AGE ENCLOSURE AT PIDDLETRENTHIDE FROM THE WEST

<10> Historic England, Historic England Archive, OS55/F44/2 (Index). SDO14738.

NORTHERN PART OF PROBABLE IA ENCLOSURE AT PIDDLETRENTHIDE

<11> National Record of the Historic Environment, 199078 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

<12> Environment Agency, 16-NOV-2021, LIDAR Environment Agency DTM (Aerial Photograph). SDO18034.

Record last edited

Aug 9 2024 9:34AM