Monument record MDO37358 - Prehistoric Ditch, Corfe Mullen to Salisbury Water Transfer Scheme Evaluation Trench 11

A ditch of probable Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age date was found in evaluation trench 11 of the Corfe Mullen to Salisbury Water Transfer Scheme route and corresponded to an L-shaped geophysical anomaly. It may originally had a bank on its south east side. The record for this monument has been created with support from Wessex Water.

A possibly prehistoric ditch (110003), aligned NE-SW, was found in the north western part of evaluation trench 11 of the archaeological evaluation of the Corfe Mullen to Salisbury Water Transfer Scheme route. This ditch was 1.7m wide and 1.1m deep with eroded steep sides and a flat base. A total of five fills were identified and the pattern of silting could suggest that there had been a bank on the south east side. A single sherd of Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age pottery was found in the primary fill. This ditch corresponded to the linear geophysical anomaly 313. [1]

An L-shaped linear positive geophysical anomaly (313) was identified during the geophysical survey along the proposed route of the Corfe Mullen to Salisbury Water Transfer Scheme and is indicative of a former cut feature which may be of archaeological origin. [2]

The record for this monument has been created with support from Wessex Water.

<1> Havard, T and Nicholl, M, 2013, Corfe Mullen to Salisbury Transfer Scheme, Wessex Water, Dorset and Wiltshire: Archaeological Evaluation, 11 (Unpublished document). SDO14094.

Ditch 11003 (Fig. 41, Section 7) was located in the north-western half of Trench 11 and corresponded to a linear anomaly identified during the geophysical survey. It contained five fills, the earliest 11004 to the latest 11008, with erosion fills 11005 to 11007 suggesting the presence of a bank on the south-eastern side of the ditch. A single small sherd of possible Late Bronze Age to Early Iron Age pottery was recovered from the primary fill 11004.

<2> Marsh, B and Biggs, M, 2012, Geophysical Survey Report Corfe Mullen to Salisbury WTS, 31 (Unpublished document). SDO14089.

312-318 Several positive area and linear anomalies have been identified and are indicative of former cut features which may be of archaeological origin.

Record last edited

Dec 30 2015 5:48PM