SDO12459 - Tarrant Launceston 15 & Environs. Aerial Photograph Survey & Analysis

'Aerial photographs taken in 2006 prompted a re-evaluation of the oval enclosure known as Tarrant Launceston 15 and its surrounding landscape. The enclosure had been suggested as probably Iron Age or Roman when listed for the first time by the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England (1972); however, the new aerial photographs showed a number of breaks, or causeways, in the ditch that defines the monument, perhaps indicating that the site is actually a Neolithic causewayed enclosure and considerably older than had previously been thought. Analysis of existing aerial photographs for a contextual area around Tarrant Launceston 15 took place in the summer of 2008 and illustrates how a significant amount of new information is locked in existing archives. Three themes arising from the analysis are considered in this report: prehistoric round barrows (Funerals); “Celtic” and other field systems and evidence for post medieval agricultural improvements (Farming), and 20th century military activity (Fighting). The project complements other Aerial Survey and Investigation (AerSI) projects in Cranborne Chase by characterising the archaeology, assessing the potential contribution of aerial photographic survey to this area, and assessing the effect of 20th century military activity and farming practices on the archaeology.'