Monument record MDO6419 - Enclosure north east of Knowlton Circles, Woodlands

A sub-rectangular enclosure is visible as a cropmark on aerial photographs. Consists of a ditch in the shape of an irregular rectangle measuring roughly 22 metres by 30 metres. It appears to have entrances at the eastern corner and in the northern end. The form of this enclosure strongly suggests a Neolithic mortuary enclosure, although its location within the Knowlton Circles Barrow Group may indicate a later date. It has been mapped by English Heritage’s Knowlton Circles Project and was digitally plotted by the Dorset Stour NMP project.

SU 0297 1056. A sub-rectangular enclosure is visible as a cropmark on aerial photographs and has been mapped by EH's Knowlton Circles Project. The feature is defined by a single ditch 27.7m x 23.2m with gaps, possibly representing entrances, at the eastern corner and in the northern end. The construction of the enclosure's south-eastern end appears to respect the location of a small round barrow (SU 01 SW 192).

The form of this enclosure strongly suggests a Neolithic mortuary enclosure, although its location within the Knowlton Circles Barrow Group may indicate a later date. The enclosure was formerly described as SU 01 SW 52, enclosure 23. <1, 2, 5>

The enclosure is visible on a 1954 aerial photograph and again on a 2005 aerial photograph. <3 and 6>
The enclosure measure around 30m long by 25m wide and may have an entrance at its northeastern corner.
It was digitally plotted by the Dorset Stour NMP project.

<1> Cambridge University Collection of Aerial Photography, 18-JUN-1948, CUCAP AQ19 (Aerial Photograph). SDO18732.

<2> National Monuments Record, 22-APR-1954, NMR SU 0210/35 (CUCAP NN 6) (Aerial Photograph). SDO18738.

<3> Cambridge University Collection of Aerial Photography, 22-APR-54, CAP 8152/005 (SU0210/034) (Aerial Photograph). SDO15754.

<4> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1975, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume V (East), 115 (Monograph). SDO129.

'(23) ENCLOSURE (02981055) lies among barrows (50-65), N.E. of Knowlton Circles, and is almost certainly associated with them. It has been levelled by ploughing, but it appears on air photographs (C.U.A.P., AQ 20), (Plate 79), as a sub-rectangular ditched feature, about 80 ft. by 60 ft., with an entrance at the E. corner.'

<5> John Boyden, 02-JUL-1976, JRB 3097/006 (SU0210/39) (Aerial Photograph). SDO15710.

<6> Dorset County Council, 2005, Digital vertical aerial photographs (Aerial Photograph). SDO12570.

<7> Historic England, Historic England Archive, Object Number: AF1339047. Object Title: EH: Knowlton Circles, Dorset (Index). SDO14738.

<8> National Record of the Historic Environment, 1409866 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Nov 8 2022 10:31AM