Monument record MDO19342 - Bargates, Christchurch (site X17); late Bronze Age-Early Iron Age enclosure ditches

Excavation at Bargates, Christchurch, during 1977 (site X17), revealed evidence for a late Bronze Age field system. This comprised two enclosure ditch alignments [122 & 86/182/310], approximately at right angles and both terminating at ring ditch 1. The ditches pre-date a late Bronze Age settlement. They can be interpreted as part of a larger field system, or as enclosures near a settlement focus.

K. Jarvis directed an excavation at Bargates, Christchurch, during 1977-8 (site X17) in advance of development. The results were subsequently published in DNHAS monograph 5 (1).

The excavations revealed evidence for a late Bronze Age field system. This comprised two enclosure ditch alignments [122 & 86/182/310], approximately at right angles and both terminating at ring ditch 1. Ditch [122] was shallow and irregular with a rounded profile 0.17m deep and contained eight pottery sherds and a kilogram of burnt flint. The three ditches of the northern enclosure alignment [86, 182, 310] were similar and the finds included six pottery sherds. Several post-holes [194, 196, 198] may indicate an entrance arrangement.

The pottery assemblage suggests a date range from the 8th century BC to the mid 6th century BC and , although Jarvis suggests that this settlement and enclosure falls within the late Bronze Age, it might be more correct to consider this as an early Iron Age phase.

Four post-holes cut the enclosure ditch and suggested that the majority of the settlement post-holes were later than the enclosures ditches. The ditches can be interpreted either as part of a larger field system, or as enclosures near a settlement focus.

<1> Jarvis, K S, 1983, Excavations in Christchurch 1969-80, 102-141 (Monograph). SWX4028.

Record last edited

May 4 2007 3:51AM