Monument record MWX612 - Iron Age/Romano-British settlement at Blacklands, Langton Matravers

An Iron Age and Romano-British settlement with finds of pottery and an associated shale working site. Flint flakes were also found. Largely destroyed by quarrying.

An occupation site, probably connected with shale armlet industries of the Iron Age and Roman period has been found during quarrying at Blacklands, near Acton. The site largely destroyed by earlier quarrying, was tested in 1945, yielded a few Iron Age `A sherds, burnt daub, slingstones, several unfinished hand-cut shale armlets and turned armlet cores (Calkin class `C) shale waste and a large concentration of flint flakes including rough tools, at a depth of 3ft. <1-3>

National Record of the Historic Environment, 456404 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

<1> Calkin J B, 1948, Isle of Purbeck in the Iron Age, 43 (Article in serial). SWX1705.

<2> 1949, Proc Dorset Nat Hist. Arch Soc. 71, 68-71 (Article in serial). SWX4477.

<3> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 3, 602 (Monograph). SDO150.

<4> Bellamy, P, 2017, Lewis Quarries Replacement Quarry, Home Field, Acton, Langton Matravers, Dorset. Observations and Recording during Quarry Phase 2 (Unpublished document). SDO15362.

<5> Papworth M, 1994, Eastington, Acton, Westwood, Wilkswood, New Barn, Corfe Castle Estate, Wessex Region, 62 (Unpublished document). SWX1388.

A field called ‘Blacklands’ in 1775 (Woodward) lies south of a square parcel of land also called ‘Blacklands’ which is not part of the Estate. The owner of this land mentioned that the soil on his property is indeed black, very different from the orange-brown clay usually found above Purbeck limestone bedrock. Black soil and the name blacklands are usually associated with ancient occupation sites where organic deposits over time have enriched the soil e.g. some of the fields where the Romano-British sites at Norden lies are called Blacklands (112,233). There may well be an occupation site in this field.

Record last edited

Jun 17 2024 11:50AM