Monument record MDO44142 - Iron Age or Roman corn drying kilns on Woodcutts Common, Sixpenny Handley

Iron Age or Roman corn drying kilns, excavated in the 1880s by Pitt Rivers, who described them as hypocausts. In 1954, the Ordnance Survey recorded surface traces as four grass-covered depressions.

'A' Probably Phase II (for dating, see main record). A trench 3 1/2ft deep by 3ft wide, running along the sides of a 9ft square. It was lined with slabs of Purbeck stone, and on the SW was a lined neck showing signs of great heat.
'B' Probably Phase II. A neck 3 1/2ft deep by 1 1/2ft wide between two oval basins. All showing signs of heat.
'C' Phase III. Similar to 'B'.
'D' Similar to 'B'. <1> <3>

'A' Grass-covered depression 8.0m by 3.0m by 1.0m deep. Two slabs of Purbeck stone lie in the pit.
'B' Grass-covered depression 8.0m by 3.0m, by 1.4m at the NE end and 0.4m at the SW end.
'C' and 'D'.Similar to 'B'. 'D' is 1.0m deep, and shows signs of flint walling. <4>

Examination of the site in 2001 found the area to be heavily overgrown. It is recommended that future investigations should be conducted within this area in order to confirm the extent of archaeological remains. Ground photo with archive report. <5>

<1> Pitt Rivers, A H L F, 1887, Excavations in Cranborne Chase near Rushmore, on the borders of Dorset and Wilts. Vol. 1: excavations in the Romano-British village on Woodcuts Common, and Romano-British antiquities in Rushmore Park (Monograph). SDO18399.

<2> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey 25 inch scale map, 1901 (Map). SDO18020.

('A' and 'B' :- ST 96391808) HYPOCAUSTS (R)
('C' ST 96351818) ('D' ST 96431818) HYPOCAUST (R) (twice)

<3> Piggott, S, Stone, J F S, and Shortt, H De S, 1947, The Archaeology of Salisbury and District: Britons, Romans and Saxons Round Salisbury and in Cranborne Chase: reviewing the excavations of General Pitt-Rivers, 1881-1898; Antiquaries Journal CIV, 1-26 (Article in serial). SDO16715.

<4> Quinnell, N V, Various, Field Investigators Comments NVQ, F1 NVQ 08-APR-54 (Unpublished document). SDO11903.

<5> English Heritage, English Heritage Alternative Action Report, 06-Nov-2001 (Scheduling record). SDO18279.

<6> National Record of the Historic Environment, 209821 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Aug 30 2022 4:40PM