Isle of Purbeck History
Until 50,000 years ago Purbeck was still connected with the Isle of Wight. In Purbeck evidence of early man in the Old Stone Age is rare. These primitive people were nomadic hunters. Flakes of flint used to tip arrows or sharpen primitive tools have been found in Purbeck from the Middle Stone Age. In 1931 road widening at Ulwell revealed flint tools and a small gathering pit containing periwinkles, cockles and limpets.
In the New Stone Age, from about 2,500 B.C., the inhabitants were herdsmen, still nomadic, cleared bushes away with flint or hand axes and hoes to grow wheat and barley on the hills. A stone axe has been found on Ballard Down and others found near Swanage. By now the coastline has more or less reached its present form. Neolithic men seem to have preferred the high chalk land and built earthworks there. The Britons buried their more important dead in long barrows. The only one in Purbeck is on Nine Barrow Down above Ailwood Farm.
The stone circle at Rempstone consists of Studland ferruginous sandstone and was probably erected by the Bronze Age ‘Beaker folk’ who invaded Britain about 1,800 B.C. They raised the round barrows on the chalk ridge, later named Nine Barrow Down, prominently seen from the valley ever since. These were burial of the more important folk, the dead usually being laid on their side in a crouched position, sometimes with ‘grave goods’ such as their characteristic pottery and drinking-beakers. One of these skeletons was found in the round barrow on Ballard Down above the waterworks at Ulwell which was the site of an obelisk erected in 1892 by George Burt to commemorate the bringing of pure water to Swanage. The so called Giant’s Grave and Giant’s Trencher on Godlingston Hill were excavated in 1851 and 1857 by the Rev. J. H. Austen who found nothing, and is doubtful whether either was in fact a barrow. There were burial urns of the ‘collared’ type were found in five small ‘bowl’ barrows on Ballard Down. At this period, sheep were kept for weaving wool, and barley was grown on the higher land. About 1,000 a large number of immigrant Celts arrived using ploughs, who introduced settled farming. Bronze tools and weapons became more common.
Trade increased with Normandy in the fifth century B.C. which in turn made Hengistbury at the mouth of the Stour and Avon become a very busy port. Sometimes easterly gales pushed some ships heading for this port into Studland or Swanage bay. In Purbeck, needles, burnished tools and weaving combs made of bone were preserved in the limestone soil.
About 450 B.C. Celts using iron crossed the Channel, some landing at Lulworth Cove, others in Poole Harbour. They overran the Bronze Celts whose weapons could not compete with iron. The Celts built many hill-forts on the higher chalk lands to guard against another threatened invasion from Gaul. The fort of Flowers Barrow above Worbarrow Bay was constructed on the ridge way track which extended eastwards to Ballard and westwards towards the great fort of Maiden Castle, which became the capital of the Durotriges tribe. Later another tribe, the warlike Belgae, invaded Dorset and captured Maiden Castle. They had wheeled ox-drawn ploughs and war chariots. But the Durotriges survived and even struck their own primitive coins.
Some changes in society were beginning to show. Freemen and slaves began to appear. The slaves were probably descendants from the conquered Bronze Celts or earlier Britons. Military men increased their power as defence from attacks by strangers was of first importance. From all this the concept of the ‘manor’ began to appear. Land ownership was gradually accepted but as yet there was no organisation of the estate in which labour could be gathered round an economic centre, and many serfs lived alongside the free owners and free tenants.
Purbeck as a land mass 20 million years ago was much further south and was made up primarily of muddy swamps and lagoons. At this time dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures lived in the region.As time went on layers of mud and rock became compacted and the land mass moved northwards. As the European and African plates collided this landmass buckled in a ripple effect and this has created the dramatic scenery and geology that Purbeck is famous for today.As the layers were forced up at 90 degrees, dinosaur and ancient animal fossils were brought to the surface. The exposed chalk and harder rocks have created majestic formations such as Durdle Door, Lulworth Cove and Old Harry Rocks.Most representatives of ancient man have been known to have settled in the district and the name "Purbeck" comes from the Purbik – meaning a beak shaped ridge frequented by bittern or snipe.The first most notable settlement in the area was a large Saxon community at Wareham, which grew into one of the most important towns in the country. Due to its status and also its strategic location, many Viking raids were staged in the area. This led to the great King Alfred commanding great Saxon walls be built around Wareham. These can still be seen today, along with the town’s Saxon grid pattern. Medieval times brought to the area two castles, one at Wareham built on the orders of William the Conqueror, and one which majestically remains at Corfe Castle, though in now in ruins. There were many battles in the two civil wars that took part in the area, with King Stephen and Empress Matilda taking part in a fight for Wareham Castle. Thankfully, the latter Civil war was the last of the most violent times for the area and since then Purbeck has become the quiet rural area of today. During Victorian times, Swanage began a rejuvenation. Purbeck stone had always been an important asset for trade and Purbeck Marble (not really a marble but a compacted layer of of geological rock) was used to decorate the country’s finest cathedrals.With the arrival of entrepreneurs like George Burt and John Mowlem, nephew and uncle, the area made a real name for itself. The company Mowlem was born and is still in existence today, indeed its local Purbeck stone paved some of London’s finest streets. The money made by these gentlemen was always invested back into Swanage and great facades such as the Town Hall. It also gave rise to the fascinating Durlston Castle and Park. Agriculture has not only played a part in shaping the area’s landscape but it has been an important source of local employment. Much of the area is managed by large estates which have retained the area’s special qualities over the centuries.
In recent times tourism has overtaken all of these as the major source of income and provider of employment. Over 4.8 million people visit the area each year, providing £118 million in direct visitor spend helping to keep the landscape and Purbeck communities alive.
BALL CLAYS
These clays are Tertiary (Mesozoic) deposits of sedimentary origin. They were initially dug out of the ground as blocks or balls - hence the name. Their geological age, chemical compositions and geographical locations vary greatly.
The main areas of occurrence are:
1) The Newton Abbot area of South Devon.
2) Torrington, North Devon
3) Dorset - Isle of Purbeck and Wimbourne
Extraction is done by both open cast and underground methods. Underground workings rarely extend more than 100 feet below the surface. Ball clays are plastic so are suitable for throwing and machine use. For casting they need greater addition of defloculents (chemicals to make them behave as a liquid when water is added). The colours produced after firing vary depending on the clay.
