Monument record MDO18332 - Poundbury Community Woodland; Ditched trackway

A ditch was found in during the evaluation of an area proposed for community woodland by Wessex Archaeology in 1998, which may be the northern ditch of a ditched trackway which crosses this area, as identified by aerial photographic evidence. No trace of the southern ditch of the trackway was found. No dating evidence was recovered, but other parts of this trackway have been found to the west in the 1987 Maiden Castle Road excavations and to the east during the 1993 Maiden Castle School excavations, which suggest the trackway was of Late Iron Age / Roman date.

A ditch was found in evaluation Trench 3 during the evaluation of an area proposed for community woodland by Wessex Archaeology in 1998 (1) (2). The numbers in square brackets are context numbers used in the report and archive (2) (3).

In the northern end of evaluation Trench 3 was a ditch [306], aligned E-W, which is on the line of the northern side of a ditched trackway visible as a soil mark on aerial photographs of the area. The ditch was 2.5m wide and 0.4m deep with three chalky soil fills. No dating evidence was recovered from this ditch. It cut an earlier small ditch [302] oriented N-S.

Ditch [306] has been identified as part of a ditched trackway on the basis of its location, whch corresponds to the location of the northern side of the trackway recorded on aerial photographs. No trace of the southern ditch was found in the trench. The soil mark evidence suggests the ditch should have crossed the southern part of the trench. Further parts of this trackway have been found to the west in the 1987 Maiden Castle Road excavations and to the east during the 1993 Maiden Castle School excavations. The results from these sites suggest the trackway was of Late Iron Age / Roman date.

<1> Ritchie, K, 1998, Dorchester, Poundbury Community Woodland. Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society (Article in serial). SDO9555.

<2> Ritchie K, 1998, Poundbury Community Woodland, Dorchester, Dorset: Archaeological Evaluation (Unpublished document). SDO9554.

<3> Wessex Archaeology, 1998, Poundbury Community Woodland; Archaeological Evaluation (Excavation archive). SDO9975.

Record last edited

Oct 23 2006 5:24AM