EDO7925 - 17 North Street, Bere Regis; evaluation 2023

Five trial trenches, (nominally measuring 25 m by 1.8 m) were excavated in level spits using a 360º excavator equipped with a toothless bucket, under the constant supervision and instruction of the monitoring archaeologist. Machine excavation proceeded until either the archaeological horizon or the natural geology was exposed. Where necessary, the base of the trench/surface of archaeological deposits were cleaned by hand. A sample of the exposed deposits were hand cleaned, sufficient to address the aims of the evaluation. Project Results: The geophysical survey suggested the presence of large enclosure in the southern half of the field. The five trenches, limited by the presence of overhead services, were successfully positioned to bisect different parts of the possible enclosure with the aim of identifying the function and date, in addition to any other associated features. With the exception of a strip lynchet in trench 1, no archaeological features were identified.