Monument record MDO18516 - Bridport Road Ridge east of Monkey's Jump, Dorchester By-pass; Bronze Age enclosure

A curvilinear ditch was found during the evaluation excavations adjacent to the Bridport Road at Monkey’s Jump, undertaken by Wessex Archaeology in 1987 in advance of the Dorchester By-pass construction. This may be part of a Bronze Age enclosure, but the full size and shape of this possible enclosure is not known. A small quantity of possible Bronze Age pottery, a phyllite whetstone and a possible dump of knapping waste were recovered from this ditch. Two undated pits may be associated with this enclosure.

Found during the evaluation excavations adjacent to the Bridport Road at Monkey’s Jump, undertaken by Wessex Archaeology in 1987 in advance of the Dorchester By-pass construction. The following description is abstracted from the final published report on the site (1). Part of a curvilinear ditch was found cutting though plateau drift deposits on the Bridport Road ridge. The course of the ditch was very difficult to trace and no further part of this ditch was identified during the watching brief during construction. The size and shape of this enclosure is not known, indeed, the curvilinear ditch may not be part of an enclosure at all. The ditch [50823] had a rough U-shaped profile with a weathered top and was filled with brown silty soil with a concentration of flint nodules along the northern (internal) side. Two sherds of possible Bronze Age pottery , a phyllite whetstone and a possible dump of knapping waste were recovered from this ditch. Two pits were found, one possibly internal to the enclosure and another just outside the ditch. Neither feature contained any finds.

Record last edited

Dec 9 2023 5:49AM