Monument record MDO18263 - Wessex Court, Charles Street, Dorchester; Post-medieval Structure 1615

Structure 1615 was the remains of a stone building with a stone flag and flint cobbled floor, partly exposed in Trench 2 during the 1989 excavations at Wessex Court, Charles Street, Dorchester. Not enough of this building was exposed to determine its size and shape, but it was probably a replacement in stone of the earlier Structure 1613. There is some evidence for substantial repair or rebuilding. It can be identified as probably part of a barn, which was rented by the Reverend John White, during the 17th century and was finally demolished in the later part of the 19th century to make way for the construction of Acland Road.

Found in Trench 2 during the excavations carried out by Wessex Archaeology in 1989 in the proposed Wessex Court retail development area between Charles Street, Acland Road, and South Walks, Dorchester (1) (2) (3) (4). The numbers in square brackets below are context and feature numbers used in the report and archive (1) (4).

Structure 1614 comprised elements of a substantial stone building, which appears to have been a replacement/rebuilding of the earlier timber structure 1614.Not enough of it was exposed to be certain of its size and shape. It consisted of three walls [656, 707, 712], a cobbled surface [706/709], a stone flag surface [705] and a drain [708]. The western side of the structure was defined by wall [712] which was aligned roughly N-S and exposed for a length of 5m. It was 0.6m wide and constructed from well-made coursed, squared limestone faces with a rubble core. Another wall [707] ran east-west along the northern edge of the excavation trench, but remained largely unexcavated. It was constructed from coursed squared stone blocks in a pink-buff mortar. The relationship between these two walls was not exposed. Overlying the N-S wall [712] was another more irregular, less well made wall [656]. The western face of this wall had been robbed. This wall may be evidence for a major repair or rebuild of the structure. The internal surfaces comprised a stone flag floor to the north bounded by wall [707] with an area of flint cobbling to the south, bordered on the south and east by a line of small limestone slabs set on edge. A limestone lined drain [708] ran N-S across the cobbling. These floor surfaces were sealed by general soil layers containing 18th-19th century pottery.

There is documentary evidence for a barn, built in the northern part of the medieval field of Estwalles, not long before 1623 and rented by the Reverend John White, in the location of this building (1). It is possible that Structure 1615 is the remains of this barn. In 1794 the building was described as a cottage and candle house, but it is not clear whether this was as a result of conversion or rebuilding. It was demolished in the later 19th century (pre-1888) to make way for the construction of Acland Road.

<1> Davies, S M and Farwell, D, 1989, Excavations at Charles Street (Wessex Court), Dorchester: Interim report on Stage 1, 25th May-3rd July and Stage 2, 25th July-12th September 1989 (Unpublished document). SDO9408.

<2> Adam, N J, Butterworth, C A, Davies, S M, and Farwell, D E, 1992, Excavations at Wessex Court , Charles Street, Dorchester, Dorset, 1989 (Unpublished document). SDO9409.

<3> Davies, S M and Farwell, D E, 1989, 'Charles Street, Dorchester, Wessex Court Development', Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society (Article in serial). SDO9414.

<4> Wessex Archaeology, 1989-1990, Wessex Court, Charles Street, Dorchester (Excavation archive). SDO9878.

Record last edited

Aug 22 2024 7:28PM