EDO4840 - Dorset County Hospital Site, Dorchester (Stage 1); evaluation 1989 (Trench B)

Wessex Archaeology conducted an archaeological evaluation on stage 1 (southern part) of the County Hospital Site during December 1989 in advance of planning permission being granted for redevelopment. Five small trenches were excavated, four (A-D) by hand, and one by machine (E). The results suggested that most of the area contains substantial Roman deposits under a late post-Medieval and modern overburden up to 1.5m thick. The roman remains include evidence for timber and stone buildings, at least some with mosaic or tessellated pavements, internal features like ovens, associated pits, wells, ditches and gullies. Features relating to the Roman defences include parts of the actual chalk ramparts and retaining wall. Trench B was aligned approximately N-S, 2m wide and 3.7m long. The southern 0.5m of the trench was taken up by a modern service trench. A layer of mid-brown clay-loam 0.5m deep overlay the natural chalk producing a number of early Roman pottery sherds. A substantial circular pit or well, approximately 1.2m in diameter, cut through this layer. It was not excavated for safety reasons but judging by the slumping of layer above it is of some depth and probably Roman in date. A 0.4m thick layer of limestone and brick rubble overlay the roman layers and is probably connected to the construction of Somerleigh Court to the North [1].