Monument record MDO6050 - Romano-British settlement at Blacklands/Wall Furlong, Shapwick

The site of the largest Romano-British settlement on the Kingston Lacy and Corfe Castle estates lies immediately north-east of Shapwick village. The settlement or vicus surrounds the Roman fort described in MDO6031 and was digitally plotted during the Dorset Middle Stour AI&M.

Aerial photographs show rectilinear crop marks surrounding the Shapwick Roman fort, and scatters of occupation debris have been found, indicating the site of buildings.

The head of a marble female figurine, possibly of second century date, was found in 1990, and excavations in 1991 revealed the footings of two buildings, probably of the third and fourth centuries AD. Materials from the excavation included painted wall plaster and evidence of metal working. Metal-detector survey in the same field recovered 30 Roman coins ranging in date from the second- to early fifth century AD.

The settlement or vicus with surrounds the Roman fort described in MDO6031 is visible as cropmarks on aerial photographs [6-9] covering an area of over 28 hectares and was digitally plotted during the Dorset Middle Stour AI&M.

<1> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 2000, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1999, 151-2 (Serial). SDO11604.

<2> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1992, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1991, 172-173 (Serial). SDO91.

<3> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1991, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1990, 117 (Serial). SDO90.

<4> Papworth, M, 1994, Shapwick Parish, Kingston Lacy Estate, Wessex Region (Unpublished document). SDO14228.

The site of the largest Romano-British settlement on the Kingston Lacy and Corfe Castle estates lies immediately north-east of Shapwick village and may continue under the village along the course of the Roman road to the River Stour (see 112,065; 112,311; 112,510). Aerial photographs NMR ST9402/3 – 6 show rectilinear crop marks surrounding the Roman fort 112,049 and after ploughing scatters of occupation debris in the fields indicate the site of buildings. A marble figurine head of a 2nd century woman was found in 1990 at ST94480230. In August 1991 two excavation trenches were excavated at ST94570223 and ST94450227 across two of the debris scatters. They revealed the robbed flint footings of two buildings in use in the 3rd and 4th centuries AD. The finds include painted wall plaster and a pit with fragments of slag in it indicating metal working on the site (Papworth 1991, 172) In September 1992 a metal detector survey of part of the same field identified 30 coins ranging in date from the 2nd to the early 5th century. In August 1993 a geophysical survey across the fort showed the position of further buildings on the site. This evidence indicates that a settlement grew up around the Roman fort and continued to be occupied until at least the 5th century and Shapwick village may represent a continuity of settlement up to the present day. Indeed, the Iron Age coin hoard 112,729 and the enclosure ditch which appears to underlie the fort may indicate a prehistoric origin for the settlement. This together with the Bronze Age linear which runs up to the fort from the north (112,009) and the boundary bank (112,732) on the north-east side makes this archaeological site an extremely valuable and complex monument covering upwards of 23 hectares.

<5> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1996, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1995, 133-135 (Serial). SDO95.

<6> Ordnance Survey, 24-APR-1988, OS/88055 V 158 (Aerial Photograph). SDO18329.

<7> J R Boyden, 02-JUL-1976, JRB 3096/5 (Aerial Photograph). SDO18326.

<8> J R Boyden, 02-JUL-1976, JRB 3096/8 (Aerial Photograph). SDO18324.

<9> National Monuments Record, 23-MAY-1978, NMR 1246/115-6 (Aerial Photograph). SDO18309.

Record last edited

Aug 19 2022 8:41AM