Monument record MWX841 - Romano-British settlement on Woodhouse Hill, Studland

A possible Iron Age or Romano-British settlement consisting of buildings and huts with finds of animal bones Roman pottery, coins, brooches, spindle whorls, iron slag and nails.

Romano-British pottery and building debris including Purbeck marble found around 1940. {1} Remains are said to have been wall foundations in the form of chalk rubble. During the construction of a tennis court on the north side, many blocks of Purbeck marble were found. Trial holes have yielded native wares, a fragment of Samian and some unworked fragments of Kimmeridge slate. {2} Situated on the crest of a hill which falls away on all sides but the Western side, this side is protected by a range of hills not far distant to the South. The land around is rough pasture and three main excavations are still exposed as shown by author .4. Several small trenches are open between the main excavations but these now reveal nothing. The walls are dry walled and the soil revealed is light and sandy. There were no surface finds. (3) The site is exposed to weathering and frosts, and the standing walls are beginning to flake and fall. See 1/10,560 survey. (4) Excavations appear to have uncovered an RB native settlement of some twelve buildings and huts. Evidence for these consists of stone foundations or post holes. Five hearths have also been found. Five coins of 259-96 and one of Allectus (293-6) give evidence of occupation in the fourth century. The minor finds were typical of this type of site and consisted of pottery, brooches, shale spindle whorls, iron slag, nails and animal bones. The pottery was of a coarse ware type and thought to be the 3rd or 4th century. (5) 'Buildings and huts in two groups, dating perhaps from just before the Roman conquest to the 4th century AD, were excavated by Mr N H Field in 1952-8 on the south slopes of a spur of sandstone 200 feet above sea level. Excavation between the groups was insufficient to disprove presence of further buildings". (7) The site of this building falls in what is now a neglected and badly overgrown part of a large private garden. Nothing was recognised except a small heap of rubble protruding from a bank in the vicinity if the site. (8)

Record last edited

Apr 18 2023 2:58PM