EDO4835 - Thomas Hardye School, Coburg Road, Dorchester; evaluation 1994 (Trench 2)

Wessex Archaeology carried out an archaeological evaluation within the grounds of Thomas Hardye School, Coburg Road, Dorchester during early April 1994. The work was conducted on behalf of Dorset County Council in advance of the construction of an extension to West Dorset Leisure Centre. Four machine cut trenches were excavated, covering an area of 128 sq. m, a 2.6% sample of the development area. These revealed a small number of archaeological features, including postholes, ditches and hearths, cut directly into natural chalk, with some truncation by deep modern disturbances. Although not directly dated, similarities in form and distribution to evidence from larger sites at Middle Farm and Dorchester Rugby Ground suggest that these features are of mid to Late Bronze Age date. (c. 1580-750 BC). Each trench measured 20m x 1.6m. Trench 2 was aligned N-S in the western part of the development area and contained a 1.2m wide x 0.5m deep linear ditch running E-W across the north end, filled with a lower chalk-rich loam fill beneath a less stoney, silt-type fill containing a single fragment of burnt flint. The ditch had a truncated 'V' profile with a pronounced shoulder on its northern edge. An irregular hollow under the west edge at the mid-point of Trench 2 was packed with heavily calcined flint pieces with occasional flecks of charcoal. Not fully within the trench, it was not fully excavated but the small section that was explored contained 1,448g of burnt flint.