There are more than 1000 scheduled monuments in the county of Dorset, in South West England. These protected sites date from the Neolithic period and include barrows, stone circles, hill figures, ancient Roman sites, castle ruins, and medieval abbeys.[1] In the United Kingdom, the scheduling of monuments was first initiated to ensure the preservation of "nationally important" archaeological sites or historic buildings. Protection is given to scheduled monuments under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.[2]

Notable scheduled monuments in Dorset

Image Name Location Date Notes
Abbotsbury Abbey Abbotsbury 11th century Benedictine Monastery dedicated to St Peter.y[3]
Cerne Abbas Giant Cerne Abbas Unknown 55 metres (180 ft) high Hill figure of a standing, nude man holding a club.[4]
Corfe Castle Corfe Castle 11th century Ruined castle originally built by William the Conqueror[5]
Dorset Cursus Cranborne Chase 3300 BCE Neolithic cursus. This may be Britain's largest Neolithic site. It spans six miles (10km) through the chalk downs of Cranborne Chase.[6]
Kingston Russell Stone Circle Between Abbotsbury and Littlebredy 3300—900 BCE. This stone circle is the largest of those in Dorset, measuring 24 by 27 m (79 feet by 89 feet) in diameter and containing eighteen sarsen stones.[7]
Lulworth Castle Cranborne Chase Early 17th century Early 17th century hunting lodge built in the style of a revival fortified castle.[8]
Maiden Castle, Dorset Dorchester 800 BCE – 43 AD Maiden Castle is one of the largest Iron Age hillforts in Britain.[9]
Nine Stones, Winterbourne Abbas Winterbourne Abbas 3300 BCE – 900 BCE Bronze Age stone circle.[10]
St Martin's Church, Wareham Wareham 7th century Anglo-Saxon Church built by St Aldhelm. It is the oldest surviving church in Dorset.[11]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Scheduled Ancient Monuments in the Historic County of Dorset". Ancient Monuments UK. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  2. ↑ "Scheduled Monuments". Historic England. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  3. ↑ "St Peter's Abbey". Historic England. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  4. ↑ "Hill Figure Called the Giant". Historic England. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  5. ↑ "The Pynion End". Historic England: Heritage Gateway. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  6. ↑ "Dorset Cursus". The Megalithic Portal. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  7. ↑ Historic England. "Kingston Russell Stone Circle (450256)". Research records (formerly PastScape). Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  8. ↑ "Lulworth Castle". Historic England. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  9. ↑ "History of Maiden Castle". English Heritage. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  10. ↑ "History of the Nine Stones, Winterbourne Abbas". English Heritage. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  11. ↑ "Dorset's Oldest Church". BBC. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.