EDO4703 - Dorchester By-pass Western Link; soil test pits

The excavation of five soil test pits for geotechnical soil testing prior to the construction of the Dorchester By-pass Western Link were observed by Wessex Archaeology during July 1987. The soil pits were spaced along the route of the Dorchester By-pass Western Link from Monkey’s Jump in the South to Whitfield Farm in the north. The pits were excavated by machine and were approximately 2m by 1m across and 3.5m deep. Four of the five test pits (Test Pits A, C, D, E) revealed a stratigraphic sequence comprising a thin ploughsoil overlying colluvium between 0.4m – 1.65m thick on top of the natural chalk. Test Pit B revealed a thin ploughsoil directly overlying the natural chalk. No archaeological features were revealed. The only finds recovered was a small quantity of worked flint from Test Pits A, D, and E and some burnt unworked flint from Test Pit E.