EDO6277 - Electricity cable, Woodbury Hill, Bere Regis; watching brief 2007-2008

The watching brief was carried out in two phases, 1 in September 2007 and 2 in November to December 2008. In phase 1, a trench was excavated by mini digger with toothless bucket measuring 0.90m max deep and 0.50m max wide with a length of 680m. Phase 2 trenches were 0.5m deep. 5 zones were recorded. Zones 1 and 5 at each end of the trench had a natural sequence of stratigraphy. Zone 2 adjacent to Zone 1 was an area of made ground containing many artefacts from the mid to late 20th century, assumed to be ground works of an undetermined sort. Zone 3 ran the length of an existing trackway which was found to have many phases of piecemeal construction and repair. Zone 4 a small area adjacent to Zone 3 contained a truncated earthen bank and ditch which probably relate to the extant northern ramparts of the hillfort. Late medieval brick and tile were found 0.5m deep and a coin. Finds included: deer skull; probable Roman coin with turquoise green colour indicative of copper alloy. Details from the obverse have been attributed to the early fourth century; rim sherd of 12th century domestic pottery; post medieval token or coin, also indicating copper alloy. One side had the image of a building, the other was too corroded. It may be a 19th century workhouse or traders token; dressed limestone measuring 590mm high by 300mm wide at base, likely to have been a keystone for an arch possibly from chapel and reused as boundary marker. Othe finds included brick, tile and clay pipe, metal bolts and nails probaly associated with use of the hillfort in the 19th century as small farming hamlet.