Monument record MDO40566 - Bronze Age barrow, Holfleet Cottage, Burton

A ring ditch to the southeast of Holfleet Cottage,Winkton, is visible as a cropmark on 2006 aerial photographs. The feature is considered most likely to be a possible barrow of Bronze Age origin. There is a possible annexe on the south side that may be a later feature or alternatively may be of agricultural origin. The features were digitally plotted by the Dorset Stour NMP project.

The cropmark traces of a single ring ditch, probably the remains of a Bronze Age round barrow visible at approximately SZ 1680 9585 on aerial photographs taken by English Heritage in September 2006. <1>

ing ditch to the southeast of Holfleet Cottage,Winkton, is visible as a cropmark on 2006 aerial photographs<2 and 3>.

The ring ditch is around 25.5m in diameter with an outer 1.8m wide ditch. There may be at least two sub-circular or semi-circular internal ditched features and a possible anvil-shaped annexe on the south side. These ancillary features may be of agricultural origin, however.
To the south of the ring ditch are some very faint possible ditched linears (see MDO40567) that may be archaeological in origin - although these may also alternatively be agricultural in nature. If real, these may be possible field boundaries of prehistoric date and perhaps associated with the anvil-shaped enclosure/annexe on the south side of the ring-ditch.

It is considered most likely that the feature is a funerary barrow of possible Bronze Age origin, perhaps with later additions, which could range between Iron Age and medieval in date. Alternatively, however, it may be associated with prehistoric settlement, perhaps a settlement enclosure or even a possible small banjo enclosure of possible Iron Age date.

The features were digitally plotted by the Dorset Stour NMP project.

Berry, M, 2023, Christchurch Solar Farm, Dorset. Geophysical Survey Report, RD1 (Unpublished document). SDO21122.

<1> National Monuments Record, 07-SEP-2006, NMR 24320/4 (SZ 1695/4) (Aerial Photograph). SDO18772.

<2> National Monuments Record, 07-SEP-06, NMR 24320/1 (SZ 1695/1) (Aerial Photograph). SDO15854.

<3> National Monuments Record, 07-SEP-06, NMR 24320/05 SZ1695/05 (Aerial Photograph). SDO15855.

<4> National Record of the Historic Environment, 1503492 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

May 23 2025 3:22PM