Monument record MDO2064 - Medieval enclosure on Hewish Hill, Portesham

A medieval square enclosure visible as earthworks on aerial photographs. Surface finds after ploughing in 1970 included pottery of 12th to 14th century date, and a whetstone.

A medieval square enclosure visible as earthworks on aerial photographs <1> <2> on Hewish Hill. The site was digitally plotted during the South Dorset Ridgeway Mapping Project. A square enclosure, possibly medieval or later, lies on the north-falling slope of Hewish Hill. A shallow, unbroken ditch, 11ft to 21ft wide, with no trace of an inner or outer bank, bounds an area of just under 1/2 acre. A drainage ditch running north to south continues the line of the west side and another runs north from the north side near the north east angle. This angle juts prominently above the level of the ground outside, giving a platform-like effect. Slight scarps run east to west across the interior and some small limestone blocks appear in one, to the south, which edges a shallow platform 12ft wide. The site is probably that noted in 1923. <3> Surface finds made after ploughing in 1970 and identified by Mr P R Walker included several pieces of domestic pottery thought to date to the 12th to 14th centuries, and a boat-shaped whetstone, possibly post-medieval. The enclosure site was under grass in 1972. <4> This enclosure has been much ploughed since RCHM report (1), and there are no identifiable remains. The area is at present under pasture. <5>

Record last edited

Jun 28 2022 10:44AM