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St Aldhelm's Head Early Christian enclosure is a small enclosed settlement of Early Christian date located on the prominent headland at St Aldhelm's Head in Dorset. The site comprises an enclosure defined by a substantial bank and ditch, typical of Early Christian monastic or settlement enclosures of the fifth to seventh centuries. The monument occupies a strategically significant coastal position and represents the settlement pattern and land use associated with early Christianity in southern England during the post-Roman period. The enclosure's defensive or demarcating earthwork demonstrates the organisational approach to sacred or significant territorial space characteristic of Early Christian communities in this region.
Early Christian enclosure on St Aldhelm's Head is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1017308. View the official record →
St Aldhelm's Head Early Christian enclosure is a small enclosed settlement of Early Christian date located on the prominent headland at St Aldhelm's Head in Dorset. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1017308.
Early Christian enclosure on St Aldhelm's Head is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1017308.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Bowl barrow on St Aldhelm's Head, 470m north east of St Aldhelm's Chapel (0.5 km), Bowl barrow on Emmett's Hill (1 km), Group of medieval strip lynchets at East and West Man (2 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Early Christian enclosure on St Aldhelm's Head's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Early Christian enclosure on St Aldhelm's Head stands on Portland Group, bedrock that formed in the Portlandian. The rock here is limestone and calcareous sandstone.