The Smedmore Hill Settlement is an archaeological site about 2 miles (3.2 km) south-west of Corfe Castle, in Dorset, England. The site is a settlement and an associated field system, dating from the Iron Age and Romano-British period. It is a scheduled monument, described in the list entry as "a rare and well preserved example of its class".[1]
  Shown within Dorset | |
| Location | near Corfe Castle, Dorset |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 50°36′59.″N 2°5′39″W / 50.61639°N 2.09417°W |
| OS grid reference | SY 933 796 |
| History | |
| Periods | Iron Age Romano-British |
| Designated | 14 January 1970 |
| Reference no. | 1014835 |
Description edit
The site is regarded as a settlement occupied by a group of subsistence farmers during the Romano-British period. It is on the northern slope of Smedmore Hill, a limestone ridge; its total area is about 1.2 hectares (3.0 acres), reduced slightly by ploughing at the north-east edge.[1][2]
It consists of a block of small enclosures of size 0.02 to 0.08 hectares (0.05 to 0.20 acres), separated by rubble-built banks of height up to 0.45 metres (1 ft 6 in), each one levelled using limestone rubble, so that the enclosures are terraced into the hillside. Around the edge of the settlement are traces of a bank, up to 0.9 metres (2 ft 11 in) high, on the south, south-west and south-east; four gaps in the bank are thought to be entrances. There are inward-turning banks, perhaps to direct livestock into the settlement, by the western entrance where there is a gap 35 metres (115 ft) wide.[1][2]
There is an enclosure which is perhaps a paddock, about 150 metres (490 ft) east of the settlement; its size is about 92 by 74 metres (302 by 243 ft). To the north and north-east of this are lynchets with widths 18 to 30 metres (59 to 98 ft), probably used for cultivation.[1]
There was investigation in 1956 on the east side of the settlement, during construction of a water pipe trench. Finds included pottery of the Iron Age and Romano-British period, including Samian ware.[1][2]
References edit
- ^ a b c d e Historic England. "Iron Age settlement and associated field system on Smedmore Hill (1014835)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
- ^ a b c 'Settlements', in An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in Dorset, Volume 2, South east (London, 1970), pp. 508-512 British History Online. Retrieved 15 June 2022.