Monument record MDO18371 - Poundbury; Early Bronze Age Enclosure

Evidence for an insubstantial Early Bronze Age enclosure was discovered during excavations at Poundbury in the coombe at the base of the eastern slopes of the later Poundbury Camp. The enclosure comprised a series of shallow ditches, gullies and post-holes defining three sides of a rectangular space and with a contemporary round house on the open north side.

Found during the excavations directed by Christopher Sparey Green, for the Dorchester Excavation Committee, between 1966 and 1979 during development of the Grove Trading Estate on the eastern slopes of Poundbury Camp, Dorchester (1). The numbers in square brackets below refer to the context and feature numbers used in the published report and archive (1)(2).

A series of gullies, slots and post-holes were excavated in the northern part of Site C, partially enclosing Early Bronze Age round house [BA4]. A pair of nearly parallel and, presumably, successive, slots or gullies [C268] & [C271] defined the southern boundary of the enclosure. Both consisted of U-profiled trenches 0.23-0.30m wide and 0.30-0.50m deep, and filled with chalky brown soil. The longer of the two, [C268], had been dug with a level base and did not function as a drain.

A cluster of five post-holes and two short slots [C232] & [C239] marked the western side of the enclosure, with the post-holes representing successive replacements of a substantial post set 0.91m deep into the SW corner of the enclosure. A row of four posts [C208, C213, C237 & C238] extended the line western boundary to the north. Charcoal from the northernmost posthole [C208] was carbon dated to 1430 +/– 70 BC.

The eastern side of the enclosure was defined by N-S aligned linear gully [C338]. Finds from this phase were rare and there is no information on the economy supporting the settlement.

<1> Sparey Green, C, 1987, Excavations at Poundbury, Dorchester, Dorset 1966-1982. Volume 1: The Settlements (Monograph). SDO9630.

<2> Sparey Green, C, 1966-1979, Poundbury, Grove Trading Estate, Dorchester (Excavation archive). SDO10096.

Record last edited

Jul 26 2010 6:56AM