Monument record MDO8826 - Sopley Common: circular earthwork

Circular earthworks originally described as bee gardens now thought to be either military, forestry or horticultural earthworks. A cluster of semi-circular ditched earthworks are visible at this location on 1940s aerial photographs and were digitally plotted during the Dorset Stour NMP.

Earthwork ring on Sopley Common, resulting from either forestry or horticultural practices. (1)

A cluster of semi-circular banked and ditched earthworks are visible on 1940s aerial photographs at this location (2). They form part of a larger loosely grouped cluster of enclosures and earthworks on the south side of Avon Causeway (see MDOs 8825,8827,39680 and MWX1045), which may be medieval or post medieval and agricultural in nature but which are also closely associated with an area of early 20th century wartime activity. The enclosures may alternatively therefore be military in origin, possibly associated with a (World War I?) military camp or training area. The enclosures measure between 5m and 6m wide and have entrances facing predominantly north to northeast. They straddle both sides of a post medieval or early 20th century trackway (2).

The earthworks are within an area of scrubby heathland and not visible on current Google Earth imagery.

The features were digitally plotted during the Dorset Stour NMP

Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Records, SZ 19 NW 43 (Index). SDO131.

(Centred SZ 132973). Fifteen small circular earthworks, similar to others found in the area by J.B. Calkin (SZ 19 NW 10,13,14,15), were revealed in 1976 by burning of the heather on Sopley Common. It seems unlikely that they could be bee-gardens, as suggested by Heywood Sumner. They could be described as resembling either saucer or ring barrows. (For details, see over).

The area was used for military training during the 1914-18 war, from which period a few small trenches remain, and contained several buildings, now demolished, erected during the 1939-45 war as part of the aerodrome facilities. (1)

Main details of the Earthworks.
1 / SZ 13185 97420 / Diameter 5.4 m / Height 15 cm /
2 / SZ 13190 97406 / Diameter 5.4 m / Height 13 cm /
3 / SZ 13183 97401 / Diameter 6.7 m / Height 19 cm / Disturbance on E bank
4 / SZ 13180 97391 / Diameter 6.4 m / Height 16 cm / Path across W bank
5 / SZ 13215 97409 / Diameter 5.5 m / Height 6 cm / Indistinct
6 / SZ 13219 97441 / Diameter 4.9 m / Height 8 cm / Flat centre, no bank on SW
7 / SZ 13188 97452 / Diameter 6.6 m / Height 14 cm / On 6 degree slope
8 / SZ 13180 97473 / Diameter 6.6 m / Height 9 cm / On 8 degree slope, centre irregular
(9) / SZ 13127 97451 / Diameter 4.6 m / Height (13) cm / Ditch only, in thick heather, 30 to 60 cm wide.
10 / SZ 13175 97299 / Diameter 5.9 m / Height 15 cm / Poor condition, flat centre. On 11 degree slope.
11 / SZ 13185 97292 / Diameter 5.7 m / Height 8 cm / Very poor condition.
12 / SZ 13159 97299 / Diameter 6.9 m / Height 25 cm / In heather, with moss in ditch. 12 degree slope.
13 / SZ 13231 97341 / Diameter 6.0 m / Height - cm / Obscured by modern rubbish.
14 / SZ 13240 97365 / Diameter 6.8 m / Height 13 cm / With fir tree. On 5 degree slope.
(15) / SZ 13223 97333 / Diameter 4.2 m / Height (7) cm / Ditch only. 30 cm wide.

Notes: (a) The NGRs of the centres are given to the nearest metre, although they were not surveyed to that accuracy. The designated points should at least fall within the respective earthworks, some of which might be difficult to find from 8 figure references when the heather has regrown.
(b) Heights given are from the top of the bank to the bottom of the ditch.

Nos. 1-9 are north of the road and 10-15 south of the road.
Nos. 1-4 are close to the most easterly part of the network of paths leading from the Avon Causeway entrance.
No. 5 is 7m NE of a trench running back from the scarp parallel to the road.
No. 6 is immediately south of the W end of a trench 1.3 x 0.8m.
No. 8 is 8m SE of a stony mound with two iron stakes.
No. 9 is between two paths running N from the entrance.
Nos. 10-12 are at the foot of a large natural hillock, on either side of a path leading to the summit.
No. 13 has a central mound 15cm high, but is covered with modern rubbish.
No. 14 is 7m south of the scarp parallel to the road.
No. 15 is a circular ditch in level gorund, becoming very shallow to the SW.

( 1) General reference Survey of Arch Sites on Sopley Common 1976 5 (P.Aitken)

<1> DCC SMR, to 2003, Former DCC SMR Card Index (Index). SWX8285.

<2> Royal Air Force, 28-MAY-48, RAF/CPE/UK/2548 V 5156-7 (Aerial Photograph). SDO15553.

Record last edited

Nov 1 2017 1:22PM