Monument record MDO7707 - Late prehistoric battery bank, Great Plantation, East Stoke

A linear bank and accompanying ditch are visible on aerial photographs and Lidar imagery of Great Plantation, East Stoke. It is considered probable this could be the remains of a late prehistoric defensive battery bank or dyke. Gravel quarrying in this area has destroyed parts of the earthwork, which now survives as three of individual sections of varying lengths. This earthwork forms part of a group of similar monuments (MDO7706-10) which extend discontinuously for a distance of approximately 5.5km along a natural ridge between Stoke Heath and Jubilee Plantation.

Battery Bank consists of a bank with a ditch on the outer side, the course of which is irregular. The bank is composed of earth and small flints and the ditch in preserved sections appears to be wide but shallow. Gravel workings have erased much of the earthwork and threaten further sections. <1>

Section 'B' (see individual records for the other surviving sections) - SY 85778861 to SY 85938854. A well preserved bank with a ditch on its north side, 15 metres wide overall on average. Its length is c. 180 metres, and is cut through by a track. Resurveyed at 1:2500 on M.S.D. <2>

A linear bank and accompanying ditch are visible on aerial photographs <4> and Lidar imagery <5> of Great Plantation, East Stoke. It is considered probable this could be the remains of a Late Prehistoric defensive battery bank or dyke. Gravel quarrying in this area has destroyed parts of the earthwork, which now survives as three individual sections of varying lengths. Total length of this feature is approximately 178m. This earthwork forms part of a group of similar monuments (MDO7706-10) which extend discontinuously for a distance of approximately 5.5km along a natural ridge between Stoke Heath (NGR 84432 89408) and Jubilee Plantation (NGR 88940 87469). This feature was plotted during the Wild Purbeck Mapping Project. It is still visible as an earthwork on the most recent comprehensive aerial imagery available to the project.

<1> Quinnell, N V, Various, Field Investigators Comments NVQ, F1 NVQ 19-AUG-1952 (Unpublished document). SDO11903.

<2> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 3, 518 (Monograph). SDO150.

‘(50) BATTERY BANK, a series of discontinuous stretches of dyke (SY 88 NW, NE; 844894–891874), runs S.E. towards Wareham along a heathland ridge 150 ft. above O.D. (plan p. 516). At the S.E. end the earthwork is on the ridge crest but at the N.W. it is on the S. slopes. The remains consist of a bank 20 ft. to 33 ft. wide and 1 ft. to 2 ft. high with a ditch on the N. 18 ft. to 20 ft. wide and 1 ft. to 1½ ft. deep. The surviving lengths, possibly once continuous over 31/5 miles, have been much damaged, especially by gravel quarrying; none of the gaps is certainly original. There is no certain connection between this boundary dyke and the complex on Worgret Heath (Arne (48)) commencing 750 yds. from its S.E. end.
The lengths are as follows: (a) of 300 yds., very slight and mostly only traceable on air photographs (R.A.F. V.A.P. CPE/UK 1934: 5063), runs from about 84438941 to 84658929; (b) of 200 yds. from 85788863 to 85948853; (c) of 230 yds. curving from 86558831 to 86768828; (d) of 220 yds. from 87478787 to 87688787; and (e) of 1500 yds. from 87828800 to 89068743.’

<3> Barton, J G, Various, Field Investigators Comments JGB, F2 JGB 29-JUN-1981 (Unpublished document). SDO11900.

<4> Royal Air Force, 20-FEB-1946, RAF 106G/UK/1179 3063 (Aerial Photograph). SDO13186.

<5> Environment Agency, 2010, Lidar DSM (Aerial Photograph). SDO13147.

<6> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, Externally held archive: RCH01/093 RCHME Inventory: Dorset II (South-East) (Unpublished document). SDO17434.

<7> National Record of the Historic Environment, 455138 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

<8> National Record of the Historic Environment, 1087411 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Sep 5 2024 3:45PM