Monument record MDO18191 - Maiden Castle First School (Prince of Wales First School): Late Iron Age Enclosed Settlement

A well-preserved Late Iron Age enclosed settlement was exposed during the 1993 excavations at Maiden Castle First School undertaken by AC archaeology. The enclosure was defined by a rectilinear ditch with internal bank, originally with two entrances, one to the south and one to the west. The western entrance was subsequently blocked. The interior was arranged around a central metalled courtyard, with the remains of three houses found in the western half and storage pits arranged just inside the bank on the northern side. The houses were not all in use at the same time. This enclosure is dated to the 1st century BC.

The 1992 evaluation and 1993 excavations undertaken by AC archaeology on the Maiden Castle First School site (now the Prince of Wales First School), revealed the well-preserved remains of a Late Iron Age enclosed settlement. This settlement was exposed and planned but not excavated beyond a few sections across the enclosure ditch and the half-sectioning of one pit. The high level of preservation of the features meant that a decision was taken to preserve the remains in situ and alter the development.

This settlement comprised an enclosure ditch, with some indication of an internal bank, forming a rectilinear enclosure. The interior of the enclosure was well ordered around a central metalled courtyard, with the houses confined to the wider western side of the enclosure and open space to the east and northeast, with storage pits along the back of the enclosing bank to the north.

The enclosure was constructed over a ditched trackway, which was diverted to run south of the enclosure. At least two major phases of settlement can be identified. The earlier phase had an entrance to the south and to the west, with perhaps two roundhouses (512 and 514) belonging to this phase. The later phase saw the blocking of the western entrance and the replacement of the earlier houses by a single house (513) in the western half.

The finds recovered from this settlement were small in number due to the nature of the fieldwork undertaken and have yet to be studied in detail. The finds included pottery, animal bone, worked flint and worked stone objects. The pottery has been preliminarily dated to the 1st century BC.

National Record of the Historic Environment, 1431017 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Graham, A and Richards, J, 1992, Archaeological Evaluation of the Maiden Castle Road First School Site (Unpublished document). SDO9664.

Graham, A and Richards, J, 1992, Evaluation and Maiden Castle School, Dorchester, 233-234 (Article in serial). SDO9665.

AC Archaeology, 1992, Maiden Castle Road First School (Excavation archive). SDO9666.

Bellamy, P S , Graham, A , and Richards, J, 1993, Dorchester First School, Interim Report on Archaeological Excavations on the Site of the Maiden Castle Road First School, Dorchester, Dorset. (Article in serial). SDO9480.

Bellamy, P S , Graham, A , and Richards, J, 1993, Dorchester First School, Interim Report on Archaeological Excavations on the Site of the Maiden Castle Road First School, Dorchester, Dorset., 152 (Article in serial). SDO9480.

Graham A H, 1993, Summary Report on Archaeological Excavations on the site of the Maiden Castle Road First School, Dorchester, Dorset (Unpublished document). SDO9479.

Record last edited

Dec 9 2023 5:44AM