Monument record MDO80 - Enclosures in Tenant's Bottom, Alton Pancras

Two rectangular enclosures in area close to each other, possibily sheep or cattle pens. Undated, possibly medieval or any date to late Bronze Age onwards. The enclosures are visible as earthworks on aerial photographs and Environment Agency lidar imagery and were digitally plotted during the Dorset Upper Cerne and Piddle Valleys AIM project.

Rectangular Enclosures, two, lie close together in Tenant's Bottom, spanning the floor of a dry valley in the Chalk (see plan). Both are undated but are perhaps mediaeval, as they appear to be later than the surrounding 'Celtic' fields (Group 38). The more westerly of the two enclosures (69210155) covers about 1/5 acre and is bounded by a bank 2 ft high, with an outer ditch, 1 1/2 ft deep. There is an entrance 8 ft wide at the centre of the SE side. The interior is featureless except for a slightly irregular hollow, 1 1/2 ft deep, near the entrance. The other enclosure (69340152), 70 yds E of the first, is approximately 1/4 acre in area and is bounded by a bank and outer ditch as before, and has a comparable entrance on the E. On the inside, immediately N of the entrance, a length of bank runs N at first and then curves W; this is more likely to be the remains of a structure than an inner bank of the enclosure, as has been suggested (Dorset Procs XXXIII (1912), 42). On the N side between this bank and the enclosure bank is a broad terrace 1 ft high. <2>

Probably Medieval pasteral enclosures, as described by the RCHM <2>. The western enclosure measures, internally, 33.0m NW-SE by 29.0m transversely, the eastern enclosure, 38.0m E-W by from 28.0m to 36.0m transversely. The banks are 4.0m wide, 0.3m high, the outer ditches, 3.0m wide and less than 0.3m deep. The sites are in rough pasture and are poorly preserved. Published 1:2500 survey revised. <4>

The enclosures are visible as earthworks on aerial photographs and Environment Agency lidar imagery and were digitally plotted during the Dorset Upper Cerne and Piddle Valleys AIM project. <12, 13, 14>

<1> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1912, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Antiquarian Field Club, 42-43 (Serial). SDO22.

'..The two small but extremely interesting entrenchments of Tenant's Bottom occupy the centre of a narrow coombe which fines out on Rake Hill ..some 200 to 300 yards from the western entrenchment. The ramparts traversing the valley are extended uphill on each side, so that their north and south sides run approximately parallel to, but at a higher elevation than, the valley floor. It will thus be seen that these two enclosures form typical examples of the valley-proper type. They lie between the 500 and 600ft. contours. '

<2> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume III (Central) Part 2, 4 (Monograph). SDO136.

'RECTANGULAR ENCLOSURES, two, lie close together in Tenant's Bottom, spanning the floor of a dry valley in the Chalk (see plan on p. 3). Both are undated but are perhaps medieval, as they appear to be later than the surrounding 'Celtic' fields (Group 38). The more westerly of the two enclosures (59210155) covers about 1/5 acre and is bounded by a bank 2 ft. high, with an outer ditch, 1½ ft. deep. There is an entrance 8 ft. wide at the centre of the S.E. side. The interior is featureless except for a slightly irregular hollow, 1½ ft. deep, near the entrance. The other enclosure (69340152), 70 yds. E. of the first, is approximately ¼ acre in area and is bounded by a bank and outer ditch as before, and has a comparable entrance on the E. On the inside, immediately N. of the entrance, a length of bank runs N. at first and then curves W.; this is more likely to be the remains of a structure than an inner bank of the enclosure, as has been suggested (Dorset Procs. XXXIII (1912), 42). On the N. side between this bank and the enclosure bank is a broad terrace 1 ft. high.'

<3> Ordnance Survey, c 1962, Ordnance Survey 1:2500 map, epoch five (Map). SDO13903.

(ST 69200156 and ST 69320152) Enclosures (NR)

<4> Phillips, A S, Various, Field Investigators Comments ASP, F1 ASP 15-JUL-77 (Unpublished document). SWX3817.

<5> Historic England, Historic England Archive, 882500 (Index). SDO14738.

RCHME: Tenant's Bottom Enclosures, Dorset. Microfilmed 1979, annotation in letraset. Bibliographic References : 1) Pt 2, Monument (18).

<6> Historic England, Historic England Archive, OS55/F44/3 (Index). SDO14738.

PROBABLE MEDIEVAL PASTORAL ENCLOSURE 'A' AT ALTON PANCRAS FROM THE SOUTH EAST. Photographer: UNKNOWN.

<7> Historic England, Historic England Archive, F55/44/3 (Index). SDO14738.

ENCLOSURE A FROM SOUTH-EAST. ONE OF TWO

<8> Historic England, Historic England Archive, CC74/00394 (Index). SDO14738.

PLAN OF RECTANGULAR ENCLOSURES BOTH WITH ENTRANCES TO EAST

<9> Historic England, Historic England Archive, AO54/141/5 (Index). SDO14738.

PLANS OF 2 RECTANGULAR ENCLOSURES BOTH WITH EASTERLY ENTRANCES

<10> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, Externally held archive: RCH01/096 RCHME Inventory: Dorset III (Central) (Unpublished document). SDO17384.

<11> National Record of the Historic Environment, 199075 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

<12> Royal Air Force, 11-APR-1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1974 FS 2373 (Aerial Photograph). SDO20737.

<13> National Monuments Record, 07-AUG-1995, NMR 15345/57 (Aerial Photograph). SDO20854.

<14> Environment Agency, 16-NOV-2021, LIDAR Environment Agency DTM (Aerial Photograph). SDO18034.

Record last edited

Oct 18 2024 1:27PM