Monument record MDO5229 - Romano-British settlement on Meriden Down, Winterborne Houghton

Earthwork remains of an Iron Age or Romano-British settlement within a field system, one of the best examples of a settlement integrated into surviving fields.

A: Centred at ST 80150492 - settlement. Situated on a SE facing slope, the settlement is set about the 700 ft contour in an area of rough pasture which has apparently never been ploughed. The area is roughly triangular in plan, and the perimeter consists of a bank with an outer ditch. (Across the S half of the settlement there is a NE-SW hollow way. This has cut through the enclosure banks; it is obviously much later in date and the track is flanked by banks. Superficially it resembles an 18th centry hollow way). The settlement perimeter bank averages 2.0m wide and 0.4m high, and the outer ditch 1.3m wide and 0.1m deep. Along the E side much of the bank and all of the ditches has been destroyed. There are many subdivisions and enclosures within the perimeter. The main earthworks are surveyable but at the time of investigation and survey the summer drought rendered unsurveyable banks, ditches and depressions plainly visible as cropmarks. The mains enclosures are dealt with below and lettered accordingly on the plan. (A) An elongated enclosure with an entrance at the NE end. Average depth 0.3m, but 1.0m, where the main perimeter bank occurs on the NW side. There is a slight depression at the SW end which may represent a hut site. In the NE part of the enclosure a small trial hole showed clean top-soil but packed flints at a depth of 0.2m. (B) A large enclosure 0.4m deep with a surrounding bank which averages 0.3m high. There was no indication of any hut site. (C) This enclosure appears to be an annexe to (B) and again no hut site is visible. (D) Probably a hut circle. A very shallow depression 0.3m deep with a surrounding bank which averages 0.1m high. The entrance is on the SE. A shallow trench 1.2m long and 0.5m wide dug in this depression produced pottery sherds at a depth of 0.3m. (E), (F) Two probable huts sites; each is 0.2m deep; (E) has no visible entrance. (G) A nettle-filled depression 0.7m deep. A hut circle with a probable entrance on the NE. Some surface sherds found in a rabbit scraper. (H) A hut circle averaging 0.2m deep and a probable entrance on the SE. Two further circular crop marks nearby may represent two further hut sites, one 10.0m to the SE, the other 5.0m to the NW. (J) Two hut circles, shallow depressions averaging 0.15m deep, with apparent entrances to the E. To the W of the hut circles there is a bermed platform. (K) Probably a hut circle though now merely a depression 0.2m deep. Pottery Finds: 1) One fragment of black ware with an incipient bead rim possible diameter of 26cm. 2) Pieces of a pear-shaped jar with an out turned rim. Rim diameter 23cm, neck diameter 17cm; approx. diameter of base 15cm. Sherds of red-buff colour of sandy texture with small clay specks. 3) Sherd of very light brown ware with a fine gritty texture, part of an everted rim. 4) Handle and portion of side of what is probably a shallow handled bowl, but possibly a short cup. It is not possible to estimate the diameter of this vessel with any accuracy. The paste is gritty, and the article of blackish colour. 5) A small piece of brick or tile. 6) Fragments of shoe or hob nails and larger nails. Associated with the settlement is a field way which extends from approx 100m SW of the site to 250m SW of the site. It was under a heavy growth of bracken at the time of investigation. There is no obvious water supply close to the settlement. (1) [ST 802049] Settlement [NR] (site of) [NAT] (2) Romano-British settlement on Meriden Down (ST 801049) is integrated with a system of tracks and 'Celtic' fields (ST 80 SW 1) and is one of the best examples of its type to survive in Dorset. The site lies between 650ft. and 750ft. above OD., in a relatively sheltered position, on a spur that drops East from a high chalk ridge between the upper valleys of the Milborne and Winterborne. The nucleus of the settlement, covering about 3 1/2 acres, is bounded to Northwest and Southwest by a bank and external ditch; in the south part it is intersected by the bank and ditch of a medieval deer park. (ST 80 SW 40). The main part of the nucleus, north of the park pale is covered with levelled platforms and embanked areas that indicate the sites of structures and 'working areas'. Three embanked loops, presumably the compounds around three larger buildings, project south of the park pale. Four roads, from West, North and Southeast lead into open spaces outside the nucleus; the open space on the west is V-shaped in plan and has four small mounds of unknown purpose within it. There is evidence of expansion outside the nucleus, especially on the south where settlement features appear to lie over the remains of 'Celtic' fields. The track (d) coming from the Southeast lies over fields which continued in cultivation after its construction. At its fullest extent the settlement may have been covered more than 5 acres. (3-5) ST 800050. Earthwork south of Meriden Wood. Scheduled. (6)

Record last edited

Jan 19 2022 11:53AM