More information : SU 21015209 - SU 21525078: A linear earthwork extending NNW from Sidbury Hill. The earthwork comprises of a bank flanked on either side by a ditch. It was noted by Colt Hoare who described it as an ancient causeway. Thomas interpreted it as a probable Medieval earthwork. The bank and ditches are well preserved and have been used as a parish boundary. (1)
The earthwork was investigated as part of the Wessex Linear Ditches Project at SU 21375114 (LDP 020), SU 21415106 (LDP 026), SU 21345121 (LDP 027), SU 21505079 (LDP 100) and SU 21485078 (LDP 101). It appears to be one of the earliest boundary earthworks within the complex north of Sidbury Hillfort and has subsidiary ditches (SU 25 SW 167-170) which were added to create two adjacent enclosures (Thomas's enclosures A and B) on either side of the ditch. A complete section of the earthwork was excavated at SU 21375114 (LDP 020) where the east ditch was found to be 3m wide and 0.95m deep, the west ditch 3m wide and 1m deep. Both were flat-bottomed. Part of the central bank survived with a thin buried soil. Slight traces of the bank surviving to a height of 30-110mm were also noted at LDP 26. The ditch at LDP 27 had a broad rounded base with indications that the original ditch fills had been emptied out. Roman pottery was recovered from the tertiary ditch fills.
Sites LDP 100 and 101 represent excavations on the eastern and western terminals of the ditch, which was found to be flat-bottomed, with a maximum width of 2.7m and depth of 1.25m. Charcoal samples recovered from the primary fills from both sites were used to provide radiocarbon dates for the final phase of construction (OxA 2987 (LDP 100) charcoal, 2480 +/- 80 BP; OxA 2988 (LDP 101) charcoal 2490 +/- 80 BP). The original ditch at LP 101, north of the hillfort ramparts, has been recut to form a V-shaped profile which appears to predate the hillfort ramparts. This was also noted at Sidbury East Linear Ditch (SU 25 SW 172) and has been interpreted by Bradley as representing selective treatment of the ditches towards the summit of the hill and may be connected in some way with pre-hillfort occupation. Excavations on the eastern terminal (LDP 100) located a scoop containing a human skull and bone fragments. Other finds also include worked flint, burnt flint and charcoal. Within the western terminal (LDP 101), a cattle skull had been placed above the primary silts. Both skulls were used to provide a radiocarbon date (Human skull OxA 3043, cattle skull OxA 3044). These were used to date events which were noted elsewhere within the ditch system (SU 24 NW 11). This has been interpreted as a discrete cultural horizon which appears to be connected with the reuse of the ditch system during the Middle Iron Age.
The stratigraphic sequence within the western ditch terminal (LDP 101) suggested a series of recuts. However, at one point in its history the ditch had been extended beyond the terminal towards the hillfort ramparts. Evidence from LDP 100 and LDP 101 and Thomas's excavations indicate that the double ditch had been preceded by one of these earlier ditches which continued north beyond Snail Down and to the southwest beyond Sidbury Hillfort along the line of SPTA 1957 (SU 24 SW **). Another had turned eastwards towards the Bourne Valley, bounding Snail Down barrow cemetery (SU 25 SW 10) on the northern side. After the construction of the double earthwork the second ditch was replaced by a larger V-shaped ditch (SU 25 SW 169). (2)
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