EDO4847 - Dorset County Hospital Site, Princes Street Dorchester; evaluation 1994 (Test Pit 3)

Wessex Archaeology carried out a field evaluation in the grounds of Dorset County Hospital, Princes Street, Dorchester, in February 1994. This work comprised 6 hand excavated test pits and an auger survey, the purpose of which was to provide additional information on the survival, nature and depth of any archaeological deposits within the area, to supplement previous fieldwork (1989) and a desk based assessment (1993). The test pits revealed Roman features in the western part of the area, adjacent to the mortuary (at about 69.8m OD) and in the north part behind Lime Tree House (at about 72m OD); deep modern overburden elsewhere may seal medieval or earlier deposits. The auger survey suggests that archaeological levels (predominately Roman) may survive in several parts of the site which are currently open. Potential for pre-Roman layers is indicated by the apparent presence of clay and silt layers overlying the chalk in auger holes in the north part, the central part and the southern part of the site. This potential cannot be fully assessed without larger scale work. Test Pit 3 was a 1x1m test pit located 11m east of TP2 and also contained a deep sequence of post-medieval and modern soil build-up, overlying a 0.05m thick yellow mortar and rubble layer revealed by augering. Under this lay a 0.4m depth of soil, with natural subsoil below at a height of 68.37m OD. The possibility exists that the mortar layer and the soil layer below may belong to an earlier phase of activity on the site.