SDO16761 - Land North of Crown Road, Marnhull, Dorset. Detailed Gradiometer Survey Report

Gradiometer survey in support of a planning application for the residential development on 5.2ha of arable fields did not reveal any anomalies that could be interpreted with confidence as being archaeological in origin. Two parallel anomalies may relate to ditches, possibly associated with a prehistoric settlement recorded to the east of the site but may equally well be caused by natural geological features. Numerous anomalies in the northern part of the site were similar in character to anomalies caused by extraction or refuse pits, but these also might be attributed to variations in the local geology. Anomalies suggesting ridge and furrow were seen in the south-east of the site, and an anomaly coinciding with a former field boundary marked on the tithe map and a footpath depicted on the 1888-90 Ordnance Survey map was seen in the northern part of the site. Remaining anomalies were thought to be characteristic of geological variation and modern features including ploughing, land drains, and numerous ferrous objects.