Monument record MDO40452 - Possible late prehistoric pits, Tenantry Down, Gussage All Saints

An area on Tenantry Down containing the cropmarks of possible pits is visible as cropmarks on 1970 and 2007 aerial photographs. A section of double ditched trackway of Late Prehistoric date appears to skirt the area – see MDO40449. The features may represent late prehistoric pits that could range anywhere between Neolithic and Roman in date. Alternatively, some or all of the features could have a geological origin. The features were digitally plotted by the Dorset Stour NMP project.

[NGD note 06-03-23: Only the following information from the NRHE-to-HER database pertinent to the pits is relevant to MDO40452. The trackway has been recorded separately as MDO40449.]

A section of double ditched trackway of Late Prehistoric date that appears to skirt an area containing the cropmarks of pits. Seen on 2007 aerial photography. <2> (SU 0124 1231).

This trackway and pit cluster are probably related to the nearby linear ditch and field systems (213770 & 213767).

A loose cluster of sub-circular ditched features on Tenantry Down are visible as cropmarks on 1970s aerial photographs <1>.

The features range in size bewteen 2m and 7m in diameter. They are located in and around ditched trackways and enclosures of possible Iron Age or Romano-British date (MDO40449 and possibly MDO40450) and may be assoicated with these, although an earlier origin is also possible. The geology of this part of tenantry Down appears very variable and it is also possible that some or all of these features are geological in origin. If the features do represent archaeological features it is likely that there is a good deal more present in this locality than it was possible to distinguish on aerial photographs. One feature was also visible as a slight depression on current Lidar imagery <3>.

A selection of the most distinguishable features were digitally plotted by the Dorset Stour NMP project.

<1> National Monuments Record, 04-MAR-70, NMR 169/248 (SU0112/002) (Aerial Photograph). SDO15819.

<2> National Monuments Record, 06-JUN-07, NMR 24636/026 SU0112/011 (Aerial Photograph). SDO15820.

<3> XX-XXX-2015, Environment Agency DTM Lidar 1m (Aerial Photograph). SDO15442.

<4> National Record of the Historic Environment, 1518490 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Mar 6 2023 2:41PM