Monument record MDO18159 - Greyhound Yard, Dovecote 781

A circular dovecote found during the 1984 Greyhound Yard excavations. It was constructed of stone within a circular cut with a central pit for collecting droppings. Two rows of pigeon holes survived in the inner face of the wall. This dovecote can be identified as that belonging to John Syward in 1405 from documentary sources. It appears to have gone out of use by 1599.

Found during the excavations carried out by Wessex Archaeology in 1984 prior to the redevelopment of the area of the former Greyhound Yard. (1) The results of the excavation were published together with the results of the adjacent Old Methodist Chapel excavations. (2) The numbers in square brackets below are context and feature numbers used in the published report (2).

Dovecote 781 was located over the southwest part of medieval building 753. It was a circular stone building with an internal diameter of about 3.2m and with walls about one metre thick that had been constructed in a large circular cut into the chalk bedrock, which formed the original internal floor. Around the inner face of the wall were a series of pigeon holes, of which parts of two tiers remained. This dovecote was constructed largely of reused Roman building materials. In the centre was a vertical shaft about one metre in diameter and about 2.5m deep, with footholes cut into the side, which was probably the collection pit for pigeon droppings. In this pit was a broken limestone slab which may have been the remains of a covering for the pit.

The dovecote went through a period of change as indicated by the blocking of the second tier of pigeon holes and the infilling of the central pit and reflooring of the interior with compacted chalky soils. Whether these changes reflect a change in use is unclear. The building appears to have had a long life and was possibly constructed in the late 14th century and the infill after disuse of this structure contained 17th century pottery.

Documentary sources mention a dovecote owned by John Syward in 1405 at the rear of a South Street property, in a close that extended southwards from Durngate Street as far as the open field of ‘Estwalles’. (3) This plot must be L-shaped and Dovecote 781 must be the same dovecote as mentioned in the sources. The dovecote is first mentioned in 1405 and it probably had fallen into disuse before the end of the 16th century as a deed to this property dated 1599 makes no mention of it.

National Record of the Historic Environment, 1147731 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Trust for Wessex Archaeology, 1983, Dorchester, Durnovaria: Excavations in the town centre at Greyhound Yard, and the Old Methodist Chapel (1982-1984): Interim and introductory notes to the current excavations (Unpublished document). SDO9435.

Wessex Archaeology, 1984, Greyhound Yard, Dorchester excavation archive (Excavation archive). SDO9456.

<1> Woodward, P J , Davies, S M , and Graham, A H, 1984, Excavations at the Greyhound Yard Car Park, Dorchester, 1984, 99-106 (Article in serial). SDO9437.

<2> Woodward, P J , Davies, S M , and Graham, A H, 1993, Excavations at the Old Methodist Chapel and Greyhound Yard, Dorchester, 1981-1984, 95-97 (Monograph). SDO9411.

<3> Mayo, C H, 1908, The Municipal Records of the Borough of Dorchester, Dorset, 161-2 (Monograph). SDO9544.

Record last edited

Aug 22 2024 7:27PM