Monument record MWX642 - Iron Age/Romano-British shale working, Metherhills, Kimmeridge

In a large pasture between the village of Kimmeridge and the Bay. Lieut. E. Garard Smith found an oval shaped kistvaen containing human remains. A rough ring of Kimmeridge shale was placed on each side of the skull. In the same field he found quite a magazine of coal money, of which there were upward of 500 pieces. On another occasion he found a bronze fibula, with several pieces of pottery. <1>

Coal Money abundant at Metherhills. <2>

SY 91357917. Evidence of shale working was found in 1946 in an oval patch which began near the southernmost point of the 200ft. contour, and ran for 40 yards. south-westwards down the hillside. Flint lathe tools were in abundance and the sherds found included New Forest ware. In three spots there were slabs of shale up to 3 inches in thickness. <3>

Kimmeridge coal money ..... found with bones and pottery in tumuli at Worbarrow and Smedmore, on the coast of Dorset, 1846" (Smedmore - SY 924788). <4>

<1> Mansel-Pleydell, J C, 1892, Kimmeridge Coal Money and other Manufactured Articles from the Kimmeridge Shale (Article in serial). SWX2747.

<2> Calkin, J B, 1950, Annotated Record Map Corr. 6 (Map). SWX2543.

<2.1> Purbeck Papers, p90 (Monograph). SWX2810.

<3> Calkin, J B, 1953, Kimmeridge Coal Money The Romano-British Shale Armlet Industry, p52, 68, 69 (Article in serial). SWX1210.

<4> 1847, Proc Arch Inst (1847), p27 (xxvii) (Article in serial). SWX2814.

<5> National Record of the Historic Environment, 456566 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Oct 11 2023 7:03PM