Nether Compton now open!

The site is now been made accessible and we will get a digging machine in a.s.a.p. to start topsoil stripping. Look in for pics and which feature we will be looking at this year.

 

Funding news

We are proud to announce that we have succeeded in our application for funding from HLF, to the tune of £7,000.
DDCAG would like to thank Alison Williams for her hard work in applying for the funding. We can now begin the exciting project at Nether Compton working with local schools and Sherborne Museum.

We hope that many more people will join us to explore the past of Dorset.

Down Farm in Spring

DD members went to see Martin Green's self built museum of all the finds and features he has excavated over many years on his farm on Cranborne Chase.

We then had a look at some of the projects he has undertaken in the landscape, such as the Neolithic finds and bodies he found down a sinkhole:

The rare pond barrow:

Southamton Uni are undertaking a dig on his land this year, looking at Iron Age features, including a carefully buried sheep:

All this in an area of outstanding beauty, with Martin's work in bringing the Dorset landscapes flora and fauna back to how it was before intensive farming:

A wonderful and informative day. Thanks Martin.

Finds from Fieldwalking

Members of Dorset Diggers living in the West of the County have started field walking on a field 600 metres southwest of the Iron Age Hillfort of Pilsdon Pen.

Permission has been given for us to field walk a number of fields in this area. The first field looked in a promising place as, though being flattish is on a promontory jetting out into Marshwood Vale with steep slopes falling away on the East, West and South sides.

Between three and nine members walked for three to four hours a day over three days, dodging a few showers on the first day.

Surveying was carried out with a combination of GPS map reference, tape measures, a range finder and ranging poles.  Having picked finds from 39, twenty metre squares, this was reduced down to 41 potential finds from 23 squares after examination by Chris Tripp. Most of these were worked flint with some possible Roman pottery.

As crops are now appearing in the fields we intend to resume field walking at this site after the fields have been re ploughed.

We are grateful to the landowners for this opportunity.

Written by,

Richard Hood