Monument record MDO37369 - Sub-rectangular enclosure and associated ditches approximately 900 metres north of Bishops Court Farm, Shapwick

A small plough-levelled sub-rectangular enclosure visible on aerial photographs. There are other ditches, possibly associated with the enclosure, some 30 metres to the north. The site is visible as cropmarks on 2015 Historic England oblique aerial photographs and was recorded during the Dorset Middle Stour Catchment AI&M. The record for this monument has been created with support from Wessex Water.

A small plough-levelled sub-rectangular enclosure , orientated approximately WSW-ENE and measuring c 40 metres by c 31 metres, visible on aerial photographs dated 2005. The corners of the enclosure are sharp to the north west and south east. The south west corner appears to be gently rounded and no north eastern corner could be defined. No internal features could be discerned.

Some 30 metres to the north, two well-defined short east-west co-aligned ditch lengths are separated by a narrow break or causeway. It is unclear whether or not these are directly associated with the enclosure. <1>

The two ditches to the north were recorded as a curvilinear geophysical anomaly (257) during the geophysical survey of the route of the Wessex Water Corfe Mullen to Salisbury Transfer Scheme route in 2012. This did not provide any further information about the relationship of these ditches with the subrectangular enclosure. <2>

A later prehistoric ditched enclosure is recorded as cropmarks on 2015 Historic England oblique aerial photographs. It measures about 25m by 45m and is roughly rectangular. It is centred at ST 9370 0357. <3>

The site is visible as cropmarks on 2015 Historic England oblique aerial photographs <4> and was recorded during the Dorset Middle Stour Catchment AI&M.

<1> GetMapping, 2005, Digital vertical aerial photographs (Aerial Photograph). SDO12563.

<2> Marsh, B and Biggs, M, 2012, Geophysical Survey Report Corfe Mullen to Salisbury WTS, 28 (Unpublished document). SDO14089.

<3> 23-APR-2015, Historic England Archive 29560_008-011 (Aerial Photograph). SDO19412.

<4> Historic England Archive, 23-APR-2015, HEA 29560/039 (Aerial Photograph). SDO18302.

<5> National Record of the Historic Environment, 1622684 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Feb 13 2023 7:28PM