EDO4042 - Proposed Sports Centre and Cemetery, Poundbury, Dorchester; Evaluation Trench 5

In March 1997 Wessex Archaeology undertook an archaeological field evaluation of three fields between the Bridport Road and Poundbury Road, Dorchester, proposed for development. Forty machine-excavated trenches, plus additional contingency trenches, were investigated. Trench 5 initially measured 30m by 1.6m and was excavated to a maximum depth of 1.5m. It was aligned E-W, close to the southern boundary of the site. As a number of features were revealed, the trench was extended to cover a total of 198 square metres. A number of NW-SE aligned linear features 0.2-0.3m wide and 0.1m deep were interpreted as post-medieval field drains. Two shallow pits lay adjacent to the drainage gullies, 0.75m apart, 0.7m wide and 0.12-0.15m deep. Both pits contained struck flint and Early-Middle Bronze Age pottery in their fills, although one also contained Late Bronze Age pottery. Extensions to the north of Trench 5 located a wide, shallow, E-W aligned ditch (1.6m wide & 0.4m deep) containing struck flint and charcoal in the fill. This may form part of a Later Bronze Age field system.