Investigations on the Studland Circles by the Dorset Alum and Copperas Industries Project

Abstract

Archaeological investigations carried out on behalf of the Poole Harbour Heritage Project examined as series of undated earthworks, known as the Studland Circles, on the South Haven peninsula, Studland. A suggestion that these earthworks were associated with the sixteenth- and seventeenth-century alum and copperas industry in Poole Harbour prompted their exploration as part of the Dorset Alum and Copperas Project. A total of 112 earthwork circles were recorded on Studland Heath and Greenlands Farm. Geophysical and earthwork survey was undertaken on a sample study area on Studland Heath and a single earthwork circle was examined in detail, through excavation and geoarchaeological analyses. This earthwork was shown to have a simple bank built of turf and sand stripped from the interior. No evidence for any activity was recovered from the interior to suggest its function. The earthwork was constructed on a layer of windblown sand, which may be related to sand dune development from the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries. Therefore, it is likely that the earthworks date to the post-medieval period. Although no evidence was recovered for the function of the earthwork circles, an industrial or agricultural function is most probable.