EDO5703 - Land at Worgret Road, Wareham; evaluation 2011

In February 2011, Bournemouth Archaeology carried out archaeological evaluation on eight trenches (Trenches 1-8), specifically targeted on geophysical results. Trenches were located across the site majority being 1.6m wide. A number were extended in order to fully define archaeological features and allow safe investigation of the ditch, identified in Trenches 3, 5, and 6. Trenches 1, 2, and 7 were 30m in length with Trench 3 45m, Trench 4 47m, Trench 5 52.5m, Trench 6 23m, and Trench 8 42.5m. Agricultural topsoil and subsoil was mechanically removed using a JCB excavator to the level of archaeological deposits, under archaeological investigation and supervision. The agricultural topsoil consisted of very dark brown silty clay, context (01), varying in depth between 0.43m in Trench 1 to 0.65m in Trench 6. All eight trenches were subsequently cleaned by hand tools prior to archaeological investigation and excavation. All spoil heaps were also scanned for un-contexted finds. Finds across the site indicate multiple periods of use. Flint working activity was suggested due to finds from Trenches 3 and 6, as well as ‘flint scatters’ during the evaluation and geophysics phase of the project. Sherds of 2nd to 3rd century Roman pottery were recovered, indicating potential Roman activity on the site or immediate vicinity. Surface and topsoil finds of modern material have been related to Worgret Road military camp, of which features associated wish the camp were recorded in Trenches 1,2,3,4,5, and 8. A substantial ditch [22] which ran E/W across the site remains of uncertain origin. Lack of modern cultural evidence has led to the site being interpreted as being earlier in origin than the military camp. A small sherd of locally-made pottery, dating to the Roman period, was recovered from the upper fill but does not provide secure dating evidence. The four flint artefacts recovered from the tertiary layer (26), also provide poor dating evidence for the ditch. The ditch may be associated with, and be an extension of the documented dyke system on Wareham Common to the west of the site. Although the alignment differs and is much further south, it follows the gradient of the field. An archaeological evaluation carried out by AC archaeology in 1992 (Cox, 1992) failed to identify this substantial ditch due to the similarity between the uppermost fill and the depth of the subsoil. The similarity may be indicative of an associated bank having been ‘ploughed out’ across the immediate area of the ditch, masking any surface evidence. Agricultural features were present in the form of field drains across several of the trenches.