EDO4798 - Middle Farm, Bridport Road, Poundbury, Dorchester; evaluation (Trench I)

Wessex Archaeology conducted an archaeological evaluation during February 1990, on a field east of Middle Farm, Dorchester, in advance of housing development. Fifteen machine trenches, covering some 2280 square metres, (1.9% of the development area) were excavated. Four trenches contained no visible features (Trenches E, J, K, M); two trenches only natural tree holes (Trenches A & P). The remaining 11 trenches contained archaeological features. These included nine ditch segments, one small pit, three ?marl pits, one articulated cow burial and three modern post-holes. Trench I measured 100m x 2.25m and was aligned N-S in the eastern side of the site. It contained two ditches aligned E-W. At the northern end was a V-shaped ditch, 0.9m wide and 0.8m deep, filled with yellowish-brown silty clay. It contained two sherds, including a large base sherd from a Middle Bronze Age pot, and 10 flint flakes. Further to the south was a U-shaped ditch 0.55m wide and 0.3m deep filled with yellowish-brown silty clay. It contained 18 sherds of Middle Bronze Age pottery in its fill, 15 worked flint flakes and one flint scraper. Both ditches were probably part of the Bronze Age field system which covered this area.