Monument record MDO18343 - Former Hardye's School, Barnes Way, Dorchester; Iron Age/ Roman ditches

Traces of a small number of ditches aligned roughly NE-SW or NW-SE were found during the evaluation of the site of the former Hardye's School, Barnes Way, Dorchester by AC archaeology in 1996. These may be remnants of an Iron Age/ Roman field enclosure system, further elements of which were found during excavations at Alington Avenue to the NE of these ditches.

Traces of a small number of ditches aligned roughly NE-SW or NW-SE were found during the evaluation of the site of the former Hardye's School, Barnes Way, Dorchester by AC archaeology in 1996 (1) (2).

In Trench 4 was a roughly NE-SW aligned ditch exposed in two places. It was 1.6m wide and 0.25m deep with a rounded profile. Two fills were identified, the lower fill was a mid-dark brown silty clay soil which produced a single sherd of Roman pottery. The upper fill was a dark greyish brown clay soil which produced some medieval pottery.

In Trench 5 there was a terminal of a ditch probably aligned NW-SE which had been disturbed by animal activity, but appeared to be about 2.85m wide and 0.4m deep with a flattish rounded profile. This ditch appeared to be continued further to the SE in Trench 6. Two fills were identified, similar to the ditch in Trench 4. Finds were only recovered from the upper fill of the ditch terminal in Trench 5. These included some Roman and medieval pottery and a worn Roman copper alloy coin.

These ditches were on broadly the same alignment as a series of Iron Age/Roman boundary ditches found to the NE during excavations at Alington Avenue and the Trumpet Major and may be of a similar date, possibly part of the same field enclosure system.

<1> Valentin, J, Dorchester, Former Hardye's School, Barnes Way. Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 160 (Article in serial). SDO9426.

<2> Valentin J, 1996, An Archaeological Evaluation of a Proposed Housing Development at the former Hardye’s School, Barnes Way, Dorchester (Unpublished document). SDO9425.

Record last edited

Nov 3 2006 4:16AM