Monument record MDO5105 - Enclosure, Tarrant Monkton

A cluster of at least three sub-rectangular ditched enclosures, perhaps representing a settlement of Iron Age and Romano-British date. The record for this monument has been enhanced with support from Wessex Water. The enclosures, alongside additional ditched linears that may represent associated field boundaries and/or trackways are visible as cropmarks on aerial photographs. The enclosures, possibly part of an area of settlement of possible Iron Age or Roman date, are recorded in the NRHE under Hob UIDs 209409 and 1480997. The features were digitally plotted during the Dorset Middle Stour AIM project.

ST 938083. IA or RB settlement appearing as soil marks, on air photos. At least three sub-rectangular ditched enclosures, up to 600 ft by 170 ft, associated with other ditches of uncertain length, occur in an area of about 20 acres, on the summit and south slope of a chalk spur between 250 ft and 290 ft above sea-level. <1>

The possible Iron Age or Roman settlement site referred to above is visible as cropmarks on aerial photographs, although an alternative interpretation is that they are geological marks. The site is centred at ST 9365 0835 and comprises at least three conjoined sub-rectangular ditched enclosures. A sinuous ditch extends to their north-west which could suggest the south-western end of several further possible enclosures. The site extends north-west / south-east over an area that measures 300m long by 124m wide. The enclosures are orientated south-west / north-east and are slightly offset. The most complete is centred at ST 9370 0832 and measures a maximum of 124m long by 43m wide.

A possible later prehistoric settlement site is visible as cropmarks on aerial photographs. The site comprises at least three conjoined but incomplete curvilinear ditched possible enclosures. The largest enclosure is centred at ST 9404 0835 and measures at least 80m long by 30m wide, partially enclosing an area to its east. A parallel ditch to its south-west could indicate a second concentric ditch. Both of the smaller enclosures are suggested by single ditches forming roughly parallel arcs which are conjoined to the north. The site could perhaps be a multi-phase later Prehistoric settlement. Alternatively, the marks could be geological.

The enclosures are orientated roughly perpendicular to the field system that extends over the area to their north, which could suggest that they have a different function, such as settlement. Alternatively, the different orientation along the contour and slightly offset pattern could indicate that the cropmarks are geological, caused by a joint in the underlying chalk. <2>

The enclosures, alongside additional ditched linears that may represent associated field boundaries and/or trackways are visible as cropmarks on aerial photographs <3-6>. The enclosures, possibly part of an area of settlement of possible Iron Age or Roman date, are recorded in the NRHE under Hob UIDs 209409 and 1480997.The features appear to overlie an earlier field system of probable late prehistoric date (MDO5081), which is predominantly visible as earthworks on Envioronment Agency lidar imagery - although it is possible that there is some crossover between the features, as the area is very complex in the number of overlapping sites, and the evidence sources which identify these. The features were digitally plotted during the Dorset Middle Stour AIM project.

National Record of the Historic Environment, 1480997 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

<1> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1972, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume IV (North), 109 (Monograph). SDO99.

'(20) Enclosures (938083), perhaps representing an Iron Age or Romano-British settlement, appear as soil-marks on air photographs (C.U.A.P., AQY 91: N.M.R., ST 9308/1, 2; ST 9408/1). At least three subrectangular ditched enclosures, up to 600 ft. by 170 ft., associated with other ditches of uncertain length, occur in an area of about 20 acres; they lie on the summit and on the S. slope of a Chalk spur between 250 ft. and 290 ft. above sea-level.'

<1.1> St Joseph, J K, St Joseph AP AQY 91 (Aerial Photograph). SDO19241.

<1.2> NMR ST 9308/1, 2 (Aerial Photograph). SDO19242.

<1.3> NMR ST 9408/1 (Aerial Photograph). SDO19243.

<2> Bishop, Sharon, 2009, Tarrant Launceston 15 & Environs. Aerial Photograph Survey & Analysis (Unpublished document). SDO12459.

<2.1> XX-APR-1966, NMR ST 9308/2 PJF 11361/ORACLE11 (Aerial Photograph). SDO19244.

<2.2> Boyden, J R, 08-JUL-1976, NMR ST 9308/9 JRB 3306/3 (Aerial Photograph). SDO19245.

<2.3> 28-MAR-1968, NMR ST 9308/4 NMR 68/45 (Aerial Photograph). SDO19283.

<2.4> 01-FEB-1969, NMR ST 9308/5 JRB 9701/22 (Aerial Photograph). SDO19284.

<3> John Boyden, 01-FEB-1969, JRB 9701/22 (Aerial Photograph). SDO18042.

<4> National Monuments Record, 28-MAR-1968, NMR 68/040-47 (Aerial Photograph). SDO18043.

<5> Professor P J Jones, 01-APR-1966, PJF 11361/ORACLE 10 (Aerial Photograph). SDO18704.

<6> John Boyden, 01-FEB-1969, JRB 9701/23 (Aerial Photograph). SDO18705.

<7> National Record of the Historic Environment, 209409 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Jan 26 2023 11:16AM