Monument record MDO47594 - Relict spur outwork, Hambledon Hill, Child Okeford

Well-preserved remnant of a probable Neolithic outwork on Hambledon Hill, underlying the south western gateway of the Iron Age hillfort. It forms part of a series of such features which enclosed much of the hill. Evidence for their date is at present inconclusive, but there are hints that they may be somewhat late in the earlier Neolithic sequence, post-dating the construction of the causewayed enclosures. The 'relict' spur outwork was recorded by RCHME in 1959 as two scarps, and was first suggested to be Neolithic by Mercer and Palmer during the 1974-86 excavation campaign at Hambledon. The earthworks on Hambledon Hill were surveyed by RCHME in 1996. The outwork comprises the remnant of a double or triple causewayed cross-dyke underlying the hornwork of the south-western gateway of the later hillfort. It remains visible as an earthwork for only 50 metres, curving south eastwards away from the south eastern tip of the hornwork, although the RCHME survey confirms that it formerly extended in a convex arc across the full width of the spur.

(ST 8443 1223) Between late May and late August 1996 the Cambridge and Exeter offices of RCHME carried out an earthwork survey and aerial photographic interpretation of the complex of monuments on Hambledon Hill as part of the project to record Industry and Enclosure in the Neolithic period. <1>

An earthwork underlying the hornwork of the SW gateway of the hillfort was portrayed by a previous RCHME survey as two simple scarps. More detailed consideration by Roger Mercer and Roger Palmer suggested it to be a Neolithic outwork similar to cross-dykes on the Shroton and Hanford spurs <2>. The new RCHME survey recorded a stretch some 50m long of a double or triple cross-dyke, clearly of causewayed construction, the longest surviving bank having three sections between 10.0m and 18.5m wide with an oter face up to 1.6m high. The outer bank is up to 0.6m high and has only one causeway visible. The ditches are more indistinct features.

Although unexcavated, the earthwork can be dated to the Neolithic period with some certainty.

For further details, see RCHME Level 3 client report and earthwork plan at 1:1000 scale, held in archive. <4>

<1> RCHME: Industry and Enclosure in the Neolithic (Monograph). SWX1665.

<2> Mercer, R, 1986, Hambledon Hill Fieldwork and Excavation Project, The Hillfort Spur, 1986 Interim Report (Unpublished document). SDO16051.

<3> Mercer, R, and Healy, F, 2008, Hambledon Hill, Dorset, England. Excavation and survey of a Neolithic monument complex and its surrounding landscape, 33, 35-37, 366 (Monograph). SDO13474.

<4> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, Historic England Archive AF1079113 RCHME: Hambledon Hill, Dorset (Excavation archive). SDO20294.

<5> National Record of the Historic Environment, 1058069 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Dec 21 2023 10:59AM