Monument record MDO2239 - Enclosure on Warren Hill, Puddletown

Cropmarks of a single ditched enclosure of Iron Age or Romano British date. Excavations in 1972 sectioned one of the ditches; pottery sherds, a tegula and animal bones were found.

(SY 76079725) Crop-mark of an indeterminate nature, possibly the site of a single-ditched enclosure. <1>

SY 76039726. Situated on the north-facing chalk slope of Warren Hill, a roughly, elliptical ditched enclosure, apparently interrupted by a causeway on its northern arc, was discovered as a cropmark site of air photography taken by J Boyden.

A small excavation by Weymouth College in 1972, as part of a study of Iron Age and Romano-British settlement surrounding Dewlish Roman villa, revealed that the silted ditch had a V-shaped profile with flat bottom, but no traces of a bank were seen. Pottery from all levels of the ditch consisted of small, abraded gritty sherds of reddish-brown ware; a piece of abraded tegula from the destruction of the possible bank and ox bones and a tooth from the primary silting. <2>

Nothing visible on the ground. <3>

<1> Boyden, J R, 4-MAR-1973, Boyden Flight 64 (Aerial Photograph). SDO17713.

<2> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1974, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1973, 88-89 (Serial). SDO73.

‘INTERIM REPORT ON EXCAVATIONS AT WARREN HILL, DEWLISH, 1972. A small excavation was carried out by the Department of History and Archaeology, Weymouth College, at Warren Hill, Dewlish (SY76039726) as part of a long-term study of the evidence of Iron Age and Romano-British settlement surrounding the Dewlish Roman Villa. We are grateful to Mr C. W. Bissell for permission to excavate, and to Mr J. Boyden who actively encouraged and financially supported the work, and whose aerial photography revealed the site.

From the air the site can be seen as a roughly elliptical ditch, the northern arc of which appears to be interrupted by a causeway, lying with its long axis (of c. 45 m.) orientated approximately north-east, on the north-facing chalk slope of Warren Hill. It is one of a number of similar enclosures which appear to be associated with well preserved ‘Celtic’ fields on the surrounding downland.

Trenches 2 m. wide were cut through the ditch at the highest and lowest points at which it crossed the slope. The higher trench showed the ditch to be 2.15 m. wide and 0.95 m. deep, whilst in the lower trench it was 1.40 m. wide and 0.75 m. deep. Sections showed a V-shaped profile with a flat bottom 0.20 m. wide. No remains of a bank were detected.

The main phases of silting were as follows. Clean chalk rubble, weathered from the sides of the ditch, quickly filled its lower third; a soil may have begun to form. This was followed by a fresh deposit of chalk rubble on the inner margin of the ditch only; this may have been derived from the destruction of an inner chalk bank. Layers of darker brown soil and the modern plough soil completed the silting. There was no evidence for the ditch having been recut.

Pottery from all levels consisted of small, abraded, featureless body sherds in a gritty paste, fired black internally, and reddish-brown on the external surface. A piece of abraded tegula came from the destruction of the possible bank; ox bones and a tooth from the primary silting completed the finds.

A geophysical survey will be carried out before further work on this site is planned.’

<3> Barton, J G, Various, Field Investigators Comments JGB, F1 JGB 20-OCT-80 (Unpublished document). SDO11900.

<4> National Record of the Historic Environment, 454591 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Jul 25 2023 2:09PM