Monument record MDO5865 - Iron Age and Romano-British settlement on King Down, Pamphill

An Iron Age and Romano-British settlement visible as crop marks on aerial photographs. Excavations uncovered the remains of an Iron Age enclosed settlement, a Roman 2nd-3rd century single corridor villa which was superseded by a 4th-century villa.

Among the finds from the excavation was a unique amulet of bone with a relief carving of a cat's head. <7>

Excavation between 1968 and 1972 revealed an earlier Iron Age to Durotrigian settlement, enclosed by irregular ditches. This was superseded by a single corridor Roman villa of the C2nd-3rd A.D. which in turn was superseded by a C4th villa. <8>

DO 23 Listed as the site of a villa. <9>

<1> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1940, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1939, 43-47 (Serial). SDO13165.

<2> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1956, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1954, 98 (Serial). SDO54.

<3> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1969, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1968, 171 (Serial). SDO68.

<4> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1970, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1969, 189 (Serial). SDO69.

<5> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1973, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1972, 76 (Serial). SDO72.

<6> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1975, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume V (East), 52 (Monograph). SDO129.

‘(70) IRON AGE AND ROMANO-BRITISH SETTLEMENT (97800423), on King Down, lies on the summit of a low spur (190 ft. above O.D.) which extends from the higher ground at Badbury Rings, a mile distant, N.E. towards the valley of the R. Allen. The site has been largely flattened by ploughing, and air photographs (RAF CPE/UK 1893: 4075–6) show that much of it was already damaged in this way before 1946. These photographs and others more recent (N.M.R., ST 9704/3/ 157–61), together with the remains on the ground, indicate the existence of the W. half of an irregular enclosure some 250 ft. across, bounded by a low bank and ditch. A low flat-topped mound, 2 ft. high, 115 ft. long and tapering from 65 ft. to 45 ft. in width, projects W. from the enclosure and is contained within its ditch. Air photographs show traces of further enclosures extending down the slope immediately S.E. of the main enclosure.
Occupation debris found near the long mound in 1939 included roofing-tiles, wall-plaster, slag, oyster shells, Nene Valley ware, New Forest ware and other coarse pottery (Dorset Procs., 61 (1939), 43–7; 76 (1954), 98). A worn silver denarius of the Roman Republic, minted by Titus Cloulius c. 110 B.C., was found near by in c. 1957 (information from Mr. D. D. Whitmore). Roofing-tile and pottery finds, extending for some distance S.W. from the mound, were recovered after ploughing in 1965 (Dorset Procs., 88 (1966), 116). Excavations in 1968 and 1969 revealed evidence of occupation from the Iron Age until late in the Roman period. Robbed flint walls appear to have been the remains of several buildings, mostly later than c. A.D. 200. Finds included eight coins, mainly of the 4th century, several small iron tools, decorated samian ware and coarse pottery including New Forest ware (Dorset Procs., 90 (1968), 171; 91 (1969), 189).’

<7> Field, N H, 1981, A Romano-British Amulet from Bradford Down, Pamphill, Dorset. The Antiquaries Journal, 61 (2), 307-309. doi:10.1017/S0003581500029553 (Article in monograph). SDO19350.

<8> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1983, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1982, 71-92 (Serial). SDO82.

<9> Scott, E, 1993, A Gazetteer of Roman villas in Britain (Bibliographic reference). SWX1795.

<10> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, Externally held archive: RCH01/091 RCHME Inventory: Dorset V (East) (Unpublished document). SDO18032.

<11> National Record of the Historic Environment, 209467 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Feb 3 2023 3:35PM