Monument record MDO43350 - Dyke, Melcombe Horsey

This is one of a group of dykes of non-defensive character which appear to be associated with the surrounding Iron Age/Romano British field systems. <1-2>

ST 74330165 to ST 74700160 The non-defensive dyke is generally as described by RCHM <1>; it has suffered mutilation by debris tipping along the line of the northwest ditch, and the northeast terminal length of approximately 100.0m has been destroyed by the creation of a slurry-pit. There is now no surface evidence of the dyke's angular change of direction amongst the Nettlecombe Tout Farm building complex. The configuration of the dyke, and its relationship by a 'linking' lynchet scarp, to the Celtic fields, and double lynchet trackway at ST 74040184, strongly suggests that the earthwork represents the south-eastern boundary of the Romano/British settlement (ST 70 SW 57) on Bowden's Hill.

Linear poorly defined on OS air photograph <3.1>. Surveyed at 1:2500 on MSD. <3>

<1> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume III (Central) Part 2, 331 (Monograph). SDO136.

‘(17) Dyke (74330165–74720160), lies on ground falling gently S. at the S. end of Hog Hill. The dyke is almost certainly built on the line of 'Celtic' field lynchets and this probably explains its two stretches, set almost at right angles to one another. From a point about 80 yds. S. of the settlement (II), the dyke runs S.E. for 270 yds. and then turns N.E. for a further 200 yds. The ditch, which lies on the uphill side, is 18 ft. across; the bank is 24 ft. across, 5 ft. high above the ditch and nearly 7 ft. high on the downhill side. At each end the dyke terminates at a valley-head. The N.W. end has been destroyed by a quarry but the line is roughly marked by a lynchet 7½ ft. high.’

<2> Royal Air Force, 11-APR-1975, RAF/CPE/UK/1975 4363-4 (Aerial Photograph). SDO17554.

<3> Stone, J W, Field Investigators Comments JWS, F1 JWS 07-DEC-78 (Unpublished document). SDO11902.

<3.1> Ordnance Survey, OS 74/058/188 (Aerial Photograph). SDO17555.

<4> Historic England, Historic England Archive, 882142 (Index). SDO14738.

RCHME, Plush Hill, Lyscombe Bottom, Dorset: Profiles of dykes 15 (north side),14 (north side),17 (north side) Melcombe Horsey and 47 (north side) Piddletrenthide. Within Celtic Field Group (44).Bibliographic References : 1) Pt 2, Dyke 47.2) Celtic Field Gp (44).Pt 23) Pt 2, Dykes 15, 14, 17

<5> National Record of the Historic Environment, 202110 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Feb 15 2022 12:28PM