Monument record MDO37183 - Rectangular enclosure on Bokerley Down, Pentridge

Elongated rectangular or sub-rectangular enclosure aligned east-west and visible as a continuous cropmark/soilmark on aerial photographs dated 2002 and 2009.

Elongated rectangular or sub-rectangular enclosure with slightly rounded corners and a possible rounded eastern end, aligned east-west and visible as a continuous cropmark/soilmark measuring c105 m (east-west) by c24 m (north-south) on aerial photographs dated 2002 and 2009. The date and function of the enclosure is unknown, but it sits firmly amidst the Bokerley Down long barrow group (cf RCHME 1975, Volume 5 East Dorset, 56, monuments 19-23) adjacent to Grim's Ditch (which may cross the enclosure's eastern end) and Bokerley Dyke, and just south of the eastern end of the Dorset Cursus: whilst other interpretations are equally valid, its form and dimensions could indicate that it represent the plough-levelled remains of a hitherto unrecognised long barrow within the Bokerley Down group. No evidence for surviving earthworks or for associated/internal features could be discerned.

Gill, M, 2023, Geophysics Survey of Three Long Barrows and a Long Mortuary Enclosure near the Dorset Cursus (Unpublished document). SDO19805.

Record last edited

May 3 2023 2:13PM