Monument record MDO7920 - Romano-British saltworking on Godlingston Heath, Studland

SZ 01478212. Occupation debris including coarse 'briquetage' comes from an old sand or gravel pit east of Thorny Barrow on Goldligston Heath. In the north face of the pit, at a depth of about 2ft, deposits of clay and sandy soil showing signs of burning were traced laterally for some 15ft in 1958. Many fragments of reddish 'briquetage' and Romano-British sherds, some oxidised, ranging from at least 2nd to 3rd century were also
found. Similar material occurs in rabbit-scrapes on the north slope of the hill at SZ 01508210. The 'briquetage' compares closely with that from salt-boiling sites on the fringes of Poole Harbour. A large curved fragment of similar fired clay may be part of an oven or kiln. <1-3>

<1> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1963, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1962, 141-142 (Serial). SDO62.

<2> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 3, 609 (Monograph). SDO150.

<3> (R A H Farrar), 1975, Prehistoric and Roman Saltworks in Dorset (Article in monograph). SWX2805.

<4> Papworth, M D J, Trust for Wessex Archaeology, 1983, Isle of Purbeck Survey, IOP 114 (Index). SDO147.

<5> National Record of the Historic Environment, 457657 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Apr 17 2023 3:48PM