Monument record MDO39429 - Possible Ring Ditch, south of Bishops Court Farm, Shapwick

A circular positive geophysical anomaly recorded south of Bishops Court Farm during the geophysical survey of the route of the Wessex Water Corfe Mullen to Salisbury Transfer Scheme may be the remains of a ring ditch, possibly a round barrow. The barrow mound is visible as cropmarks on aerial photographs and was digitally plotted during the Dorset Middle Stour Catchment AI&M Project. The record for this monument has been created with support from Wessex Water.

A circular positive geophysical anomaly (277) was recorded south of Bishops Court Farm during the geophysical survey of the route of the Wessex Water Corfe Mullen to Salisbury Transfer Scheme by Stratascan in 2012. This was about 26m in diameter and comprised two curvilinear ditch-like anomalies with gaps to the north east and south west. [1]

This anomaly may be the remains of a ring ditch, possibly a round barrow, as a similar geophysical anomaly (275) was found about 75m to the NNE. This was excavated by AC archaeology and shown to be the remains of a ring ditch and probablya ploughed-out Bronze Age round barrow. [2]

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

The barrow mound is visible as cropmarks on aerial photographs take in 1978 (3) and was digitally plotted during the Dorset Middle Stour Catchment AI&M Project. It is 22m across.

<1> Marsh, B and Biggs, M, 2012, Geophysical Survey Report Corfe Mullen to Salisbury WTS, 28-29 (Unpublished document). SDO14089.

<2> Brace, D, Carter, D, Cox, P, Firth, E, and Robinson, S, 2016, The Wessex Water Corfe Mullen to Salisbury transfer scheme (B0400 and B0456) 2013-2016 Site and finds assessment and updated project design, 14, Feature F128 (Unpublished document). SDO15394.

<3> National Monuments Record, 23-MAY-1978, NMR 1246/115-6 (Aerial Photograph). SDO18309.

Record last edited

Aug 14 2022 6:45PM