Monument record MWX1138 - Hengistbury Head Iron Age and Roman

A late Iron Age and Roman settlement with a range of industrial activities and trade links with south west Britain, France and Spain. Extensive excavations have been conducted by Bushe-Fox (1911-12) and Barry Cunliffe (1980s) as well as on other occasions. Both have been fully published. See also parent, child and related monuments.

The Iron Age/Romano-British settlement on Hengistbury Head was excavated by Bushe-Fox in 1911-12. It was centred at SZ 16959090 on low land lying under the shelter of Warren Hill and bordering Christchurch harbour. See annexed copies of his plate XXIV and the related text. In general the settlement seems to have started as an Iron Age 'A' peninsula fort (defended by the Double Dykes) and to have developed into an Iron Age/RB trading settlement, as evidenced by the position and the large number of coins found. (1)

Certain items which have turned up since the 1911-12 excavations have been noted on the copy of Plate XXIV The whole area of the settlement is rough pasture and there are no surface indications of it. (2)

There is a convincing case for Hengistbury Head being Ptolemy's 'Dunium'. It was obviously important in IA/RB times; it is likely that a thriving trading station would bear a fairly well-known name; and the position fits much better with Ptolemy's co-ordinates that of any other possible, Maiden Castle the chief one. (Isca would be placed at Wareham instead of Exeter). (3)

SZ 170909. A small rescue excavation in advance of the construction of sea defences revealed evidence of four successive periods of Iron Age occupation. The corners of two superimposed rectangular or square buildings were discovered; the plan of one measured 1.5m. by 3.0m. The occupation was dated to the first half of the first century BC by a stratified collection of pottery including amphorae; coins, an iron brooch, bronze work, glass beads and a quern were also found. (4-5)

(SZ 170908) Settlement (NR) (6) Hengistbury Head listed as an oppidum; occupation was probably continuous until the end of the Roman period. The site was a major port in the 1st century BC. Iron working was also important, as was glass working. The site has been identified with the 'Dounion' of Ptolemy. (7-8)

Two distinct phases of Late Iron Age settlement have been identified at Hengistbury Head. Late Iron Age 1 (c. 100 -inlets of Barnfield and Rushy Piece. Rushy Piece also has evidence of a possible harbour. The Double Dykes (SZ 19 SE 84) probably existed and may have been modified or extended during this period. Industrial activities within the settlement included bronze working, glass working, shale working, iron working, extraction of silver and possible salt production. The presence of copper and silver alloy from Callington on the Devon-Cornwall border, cassiterite from Cornwall, silver rich lead from the Mendips and pottery from Cornwall, Devon and the Mendips demonstrate trade between Hengistbury Head and western Britain. Overseas trade is also present with Italian Dressel 1A amphorae, wheel thrown pottery from Armorica and coins of Armorica and north-west Gaul up to the Caesarean campaign. Hengistbury Head was a port of trade during the early first century BC importing wine, figs and glass, and exporting metals, corn, hides and cattle. The Late Iron Age 2 phase (C. 50 BC - AD 43) developed without any noticeable dislocation from Late Iron Age 1. The settlement, now more extensive, had developed into a series of palisade enclosures fronting onto the old shoreline road. Industrial activities included iron working, bronze working and shale working. Long distance trade had been maintained, but had been much reduced and included imports of Catalan wine, olive oil, fish based products from southern Spain and finewares from Aquitania. Hengistbury Head's role as a production and distribution centre was maintained, coins were minted here to allow small-scale local exchange. The coin distribution shows its sphere of influence was now restricted to the lower reaches of the Stour Valley. There is no significant break in occupation between the Late Iron Age and Roman periods. The shoreline road was still maintained, with fields were established to the north and south of this. Occupation in the form of ovens, post holes and pits, iron working was identified. Agricultural activity was extensive, with both spade marks and plough marks present, and in contrast to the earlier occupation much of the headland was given over to arable farming. The presence of a military supply base at Hamworthy meant that Hengistbury Head became less important during the early Roman period. The concentration of first/second century coins, Gallo-Belgic wares, samian pottery and brooches suggest a settlement of a reasonable status. The focus of this settlement has not been found but is thought to be close to Warren Hill. Late 3rd/4th century finds suggests the site was not extensively occupied and was consistent with a peasant farmstead. During the late Roman or sub Roman period there was a rise in sea level with the encroachment of the marsh and swamping of the fields by wind blown sand. (9)

Cunliffe, B, 1983, Hengistbury Head, Dorset. Interim report on the trial excavations 1983 (Unpublished document). SDO21194.

<1> Collis, J (ed ), 1976, Defended Sites of the Late La Tene in Central and Western Europe. (Monograph). SWX8352.

<2> Quinnell, N V, Various, Field Investigators Comments NVQ, 16-JUL-59 (Unpublished document). SDO11903.

<3> Field, N H, 1968, Ptolemy's Isca, pgs309-11 (Article in serial). SWX4184.

<4> 1970, Archaeological Excavations Vol 1970 (Unspecified Type). SWX4185.

<5> 1971, Archaeological Excavations Vol 1971 (Unspecified Type). SWX4186.

<6> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey 1:10,000 scale map, 1975 (Map). SDO17396.

<7> BAR Supplementary Series 2, pp213-5 (Hengistbury Head) (Monograph). SWX4188.

<8> Cunliffe, B and T Rowley (eds ), 1976, Oppida in Barbarian Europe, pp4, 155 (Monograph). SWX4189.

<9> Cunliffe, B, 1987, Hengistbury Head, Dorset. 1: The Prehistoric and Roman Settlement, 3500BC- AD500, Excavations at Crouch Hill, 1921, 1969. in Oxford University Committee for Archaeology monograph series Vol no.13 Page(s) 40-7, pgs 339-345 (Monograph). SWX4038.

<10> 1915, Excavations at Hengistbury Head, Hampshire in 1911-12, pgs 20-30 (Article in serial). SWX4110.

<11> National Record of the Historic Environment, 458772 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Dec 23 2024 3:41PM