Scheduled Monuments›England›Part of Dorset Cursus

Part of Dorset Cursus

England
List entry 1003222
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1003222
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
3.21 hectares
Grid reference
SU 02666 17087, SU 02745 17049, SU 02400 16700, SU 02472 16666, SU 02255 16420
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic England (NHLE)

Overview

History & significance

Part of Dorset Cursus is a Neolithic ceremonial earthwork located in Dorset, England, forming one of the longest cursuses in Britain. Constructed during the Early Neolithic period, approximately 3500 to 3000 BC, this monument consists of two parallel banks with external ditches extending across the landscape for several kilometres. The earthwork demonstrates the considerable communal labour and organisational capability of Neolithic communities, and likely served ceremonial or processional functions rather than defensive purposes. The surviving sections of the cursus remain visible as linear earthwork features in the Dorset landscape, constituting an important archaeological record of Neolithic monumental construction and territorial expression.

Part of Dorset Cursus is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1003222. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Part of Dorset Cursus?

Part of Dorset Cursus is a Neolithic ceremonial earthwork located in Dorset, England, forming one of the longest cursuses in Britain. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1003222.

Who is responsible for protecting Part of Dorset Cursus?

Part of Dorset Cursus 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 1003222.

What other scheduled monuments are near Part of Dorset Cursus?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Group of henge monuments, an associated group of round barrows, a Saxon cemetery, and a Norman church at Knowlton (6.4 km), Round barrow cemetery south of New Barn Farm, associated with the Knowlton Circles (6.8 km), Bowl barrow 170m north east of the Horton Inn (7.7 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Part of Dorset Cursus

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Part of Dorset Cursus's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Group of henge monuments, an associated group of round barrows, a Saxon cemetery, and a Norman church at Knowlton
6.4 km
Round barrow cemetery south of New Barn Farm, associated with the Knowlton Circles
6.8 km
Bowl barrow 170m north east of the Horton Inn
7.7 km
Lengths of Roman road in Norwood Coppice and in The Rookery
7.8 km
Bowl barrow 240m north east of Martin's Farm Bungalow
8.6 km
Potteries at Prairie Farm
9.5 km
Bowl barrow 250m north east of Monmouth's Ash Farm
9.8 km
Sandalholme pottery works
9.9 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Part of Dorset Cursus

Part of Dorset Cursus stands on White Chalk Subgroup, bedrock that formed in the Maastrichtian. The rock here is chalk.

The wider landscape

Around Part of Dorset Cursus

Old SarumArchaeological site · ~12.4 milesStonehengeArchaeological site · ~17.2 milesCadbury CastleArchaeological site · ~24.9 miles
Domesday entry for Pentridge, Dorset →
All Scheduled Monuments