Bill Putnam gave an excellent talk to the Village Society on Prehistoric Dorset. After his talk, he was asked if he would provide data on Burton Bradstock and the surrounding area. The attached report is the first pass at identifying all possible sites of interest e.g. Bind Barrow, North Hill Barrow etc. and then researching the archives for anything that relates to the village. As can be seen, there is quite an amount of information and some interesting finds. Clearly, we need to do more research on these findings to clarify what the sites really were (if at all possible) and maybe identify other sites not listed here. If anyone in the village is interested in pursuing this interesting project, please contact Ken Pett
Special thanks is due to Bill Putnam who did the original research for us.
Ref |
Item and location |
Notes |
| 1 | Bind Barrow SY 4940 8880 | Not certain whether this is a natural feature or a Bronze Age Bowl Barrow. No excavation has been done. See RCHM p.60 |
| 2 | North Hill Barrow SY 4799 9069 |
Not certain whether this is a natural feature or a Bronze Age Bowl Barrow. No excavation. Much disturbed if it is a barrow. Stones showing, which may have been moved from its interior. See RCHM p.60 |
| 3 | Another possible bowl barrow 'half-mile ENE of Bind Barrow' | Not marked on maps, and nothing known. See RCHM p.60 |
| 4 | Lynchets 'on the north and west slopes of the hill half-mile west of the church, extending to the cliff on the west' | Are they still there? They will be part of the medieval open fields of the village. See RCHM p.60 |
| 5 | Lynchets 'about 270 yards NE of Bind Barrow' | As above. See RCHM p.60 |
| 6 | Possible medieval deer park east of Bredy Farm. | No evidence known on ground. Map evidence discussed in Dorset Proceedings vol.93 p.171. |
| 7 | Neolithic arrowhead | The find is discussed in Dorset Proceedings vol.79 p. 116. |
| 8 | Ring Ditch SY 4875 8912 | seen in aerial photo by County Archaeologist at Dorset County Council. Probably all that's left of a Bronze Age round barrow. Reference: Dorset Proceedings vol.105 p.143. |
| 9 | Two Roman burials SY 486 895 | Probably 1st century AD. West of the Anchor Inn. Indicates Roman period settlement nearby (under the village itself?) Discussed in Dorset Proceedings vol.87 p.114 |
| 10 | Observation of Romano-British pottery at SY 479 895 | Suggests settlement. Ref: Dorset Proceedings vol.81 p.106 |
| 11 | Deserted Medieval Village at Sturthill SY 5155 9080 | Discussed in Dorset Proceedings vol.95 p.100. The chapel was formerly visible. |
| 12 | Romano-British pottery seen in the field south of the chapel in 11 above | Indicates Roman settlement nearby. Dorset Proceedings vol.90 p.167 |
| 13 | Aerial photographs of west Dorset, including parts of Burton Bradstock. | In an article in Dorset Proceedings vol.117 p.51, Francesca Radcliffe reviews aerial photographs of west Dorset, including parts of Burton Bradstock. You'll need to go through this in detail and extract all the relevant items. She would be willing to discuss it with you and perhaps provide copies of pics. 01305 871455. |
| 14 | The Building Stones of the parish | are discussed by Jo Thomas in Dorset Proceedings vol.116 p.65 |
| 15 | Additional aerial photograph sites (see 13 above) | Dorset Proceedings vol.116 p.121 |
| General sources: | ||
| Dorset Proceedings, | most entries are included above | |
| Dorset Barrows by L V Grinsell. | Ditto | |
| Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England: An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, vol.1. (Referred to as RCHM). | Ditto, but it also does buildings. | |
| The Photographic Collection at Dorset County Museum | ||
| The accessions Register at Dorset County Museum | ||
| The Sites and Monuments Record held in the Environmental Services Department at Dorset County Council. | Contact Claire Pinder, who maintains it. This may well contain material I don't know about. |
Two books published by Bill Putnam are listed in the Books & Publications section: "The Romans" and "The Prehistoric Age" - both in the Discover Dorset series by Dovecote Press