SDO16605 - An archaeological magnetometer survey. Land south of Blandford Hill, Milborne St Andrew, Dorset

‘The differences in magnetic responses across the Survey Area were sufficient to be able to differentiate between anomalies representing possible buried archaeology and background magnetic responses. Thirty-four magnetic anomaly groups were characterised as representing potential buried archaeology. Of these two groups (1 and 17) represent a single and a double ring ditch previously recorded in the Dorset Historic Environment Record (entries MDO4387 and MCO4388). One group (2) may represent a pit or large posthole near the centre of the single ring ditch and one group (18) a set of postholes or pits within the double ring ditch. One group (19) may represent a large pit situated between the double rings. Two groups (13 and 34) may also represent single ring ditches with one of these possibly containing a central pit (14). One group (20) may represent a further, smaller ring ditch but may reflect recent ground disturbance around a circular cattle feeder. One group (21) may represent an in-situ highly heated deposit such as that left by a kiln, furnace or funerary rites but may reflect more recent ground disturbance. Five groups (12, 22, 23, 26 and 29) may represent pits. A further five groups (3, 11, 16, 25 and 27) may represent either field boundaries removed before 1888 or remnants of a field drainage system. Four groups (28, 30, 32 and 33) are likely to represent disturbed ground associated with a former track recorded on historic maps between 1888 and 1902 and a coinciding field boundary mapped between 1957 and 1974. The remaining groups (4 to 10, 15, 24 and 31) are most likely to represent fragments of former field boundaries and enclosures.’