EDO5823 - Corfe Mullen to Salisbury Water Transfer Scheme; evaluation 2012

Cotswold Archaeology undertook an archaeological evaluation of the route of the proposed Corfe Mullen to Salisbury Water Transfer Scheme between July and December 2012. A total of 47 trenches were excavated in Dorset, of which 22 were devoid of archaeological features (Trenches 2, 6, 8, 9, 20, 21, 33, 59-66, 68-70, 72, 73, 76, and 77). Features dating to the Neolithic were found in Trenches 30 and 77. Features dating to the Bronze Age were found in Trenches 11, 25, 74, 75 and 102. Features broadly dating to the prehistoric period were identified in Trenches 1, 3, 19, 22, 27, and 32. Features dating to the Roman period were found in Trench 5. Features dating to the medieval period were found in Trenches 10 and 11. Undated features were identified in Trenches 4, 10, 11, 12, 23-25, 28, 29, 31, 32, 67, 100 and 101. Lynchets of uncertain date were found in Trenches 26 and 27. The earliest features identified were three pits of Early Neolithic date in Trench 30. Many other features including pits, postholes, ditches and one or more possible burnt mounds dating to the Neolithic, Bronze Age, Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age were found. The former course of a Roman road running between Dorchester and Silchester was identified. Evidence for medieval, post-medieval, modern and undated agricultural activity included boundary ditches, holloways and lynchets. The record for this event has been created with support from Wessex Water.