Monument record MDO5231 - Cross dyke near Houghton Down, Winterborne Houghton

(Centred ST 80500375) A bank and ditch, probably a cross-dyke, runs almost N-S from ST 80500379 to ST 80480370, across the narrow spine of a NW-SE ridge. The earthwork is about 100 yds long, with a bank 20ft across by 2ft high, and a ditch on the E side, 15ft wide by nearly 3ft deep. The modern road has cut the S end of the earthwork and a recent bank, with a ditch on the W, lies on top of it. The earthwork lies amoung 'Celtic' fields (ST 80 SW 1) but direct relationship cannot be established, owing to disturbance. It is possibly a boundary associated with the nearby settlement (ST 80 SW 71). <1>

<1> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume III (Central) Part 2, 298 (Monograph). SDO136.

<2> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 6in, 1969 (Map). SWX1540.

<3> Quinnell, N V, Various, Field Investigators Comments NVQ, F1 NVQ 23-AUG-55 (Unpublished document). SDO11903.

(11) Bank and Ditch (80500379-80480370), probably a cross-dyke, runs almost N.-S. at nearly 700 ft. above O.D. across the narrow spine of a N.W.-S.E. ridge. The earthwork is about 100 yds. long, with a bank 20 ft. across and 2 ft. high and with a ditch on the E. side, 15 ft. wide and nearly 3 ft. deep. The modern road has cut the S. end of the earthwork and a recent bank, with a ditch on the W., lies on top of it. The earthwork lies among ‘Celtic’ fields (Group (53)) but direct relationship cannot be established, owing to disturbance; it is possibly a boundary associated with settlement (10).

<4> National Record of the Historic Environment, 205816 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Mar 16 2022 1:19PM