Knowlton Circles

Knowlton Circles, which are also known as Knowlton Henges or Knowlton Rings, are a complex of earthworks in Knowlton in Dorset. The main work is a ring consisting of a ditch and bank which encloses Knowlton Church, known to archaeologists as a "henge monument". This ring is the best known and best preserved work, but there are at least two other "henges" in the vicinity as well as numerous round barrows.

Knowlton Church and the earthworks are in the care of English Heritage.

Overview

The Knowlton Circles are a cluster of Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments near Knowlton.^[1] There are four enclosures, three are of normal "henge" form, namely Church Henge, Knowlton North and Knowlton South, and the fourth is a squarish enclosure known as Old Churchyard.^[1] Church Henge is the best preserved of these monuments and encloses the ruins of Knowlton Church.^[1] Nearby is the large round barrow known as Great Barrow and a number of other round barrows are also focused on the area.^[1]

Church Henge

Church Henge (also known as the Central Circle, SU02391028) is the best preserved of the three henges at Knowlton. It is an oval enclosure surrounded by a ditch and earthwork bank.^[2] The enclosure is orientated roughly northeast to southwest and measures 116 yards by 103 yards.^[2] The enclosing ditch is 33 feet wide and up to three feet deep.^[2] The outer banks are 30 feet in width and stand up to five and a half feet high.^[2] They consist of a series of straight lengths linked by rounded corners. Three gaps are present in the bank, to the southwest, east and northeast.^[2] It unclear which of the gaps are original, although the east entrance is likely to be original, whereas the west entrance was altered at a later date, possibly after the construction of the church.^[2]

Knowlton church stands in the middle of the henge, and symbolises the transition from pagan to Christian worship.^[3] Early Christian activity at Knowlton is indicated by a mid-to-late Anglo-Saxon inhumation cemetery which was discovered to the east of Church Henge in 1958.^[4] Excavations located sixteen burials within chalk-cut graves, some aligned east-west.^[4] The earliest parts of the church are the 12th century chancel and nave and there are 15th and 18th century additions and alterations.^[3] In the 18th century the roof fell in and the church was abandoned.^[3]

North Circle

Knowlton North (SU02301045) is a small henge to the northwest of Church Henge, and is the northernmost henge in the Knowlton group.^[5] It has largely been destroyed by ploughing.^[5] The site is clearly visible as cropmarks, although its original form is uncertain.^[5] It appears to be an elongated oval enclosure comprising a ditch with external bank, orientated roughly northwest to south east with a maximum diameter of 103 yards.^[5] There is a large entrance on the southeast side.^[5]

South Circle

Knowlton South (SU02460996) is the southernmost of the henges and is also the largest.^[6] It still partially survives as an earthwork though it has suffered from ploughing and parts are better visible as cropmarks.^[6] The henge is now bisected by the Cranborne to Wimborne road, and farm buildings occupy part of the western side.^[6] The maximum diameter of the henge is around 270 yards.^[6] The enclosure is defined by a ditch and outer bank separated by a berm.^[6] It appears to have been constructed as a series of straight lengths linked by shorter curving lengths. It is best preserved on the north-west side where the bank is 43 feet wide and about four feet high, separated by a berm 4 yards across from the ditch.^[6] The ditch is 50 yards wide and 5 feet deep.^[6] It is not known where the original entrance was, and it may lie to the west under the road or the farm buildings.^[6]

Old Churchyard

Old Churchyard (SU02241037) is an enclosure of uncertain origin and function situated southwest of the North Circle.^[7] It has been almost completely levelled by ploughing but it still visible as a cropmark.^[7] It is a rounded square in plan, about 65 yards in diameter, and is bounded by a low bank and an external ditch.^[7]

Great Barrow

Great Barrow (SU02541028) is a large round barrow of probable Late Neolithic or Early Bronze Age date.^[8] It is east of Church Henge,^[8] and crowned with a clump of trees.^[9] It is the largest barrow in Dorset.^[9] The barrow is a mound 40 yards in diameter and 20 feet high, surrounded by two concentric ditches, both largely levelled by ploughing.^[8] The inner ditch is separated from the mound by a 16-foot berm.^[8] The outer ditch is 10 yards wide, 5 feet deep and is 130 yards in diameter.^[8]