Monument record MDO18397 - Poundbury Late Roman Enclosure 4

A Late Roman enclosure, enclosure 4, was discovered during excavations on sites A and E at Poundbury, Dorchester. It was located to the south of the main late Roman cemetery and formed part of an enclosure system including three other enclosures and a drove way. Double ditches bounded enclosure 4 on the west and south but no eastern boundary is known. The southern boundary of enclosures 2 and 3 was the limit on the north. A Late Roman enclosure, enclosure 4, was discovered on sites A and E during the 1966-1979 excavations at Poundbury, Dorchester and during observations at Wright Pugson Ltd. It formed part of an enclosure system including three other enclosures and a drove way. It lay to the south of enclosures 1-3. Enclosure 4 was defined by double ditches on the south and west sides and the northern side was formed by the single ditch forming the southern edge of enclosure 3. It was stratigraphically later than enclosure 3. Very little of the interior of this enclosure has been exposed. Molluscan evidence suggests that it was in an open grassland environment. It was probably used as a stock enclosure.

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).

Elements of a late Roman enclosure, enclosure 4, were excavated on Sites A and E and observed during observations at Wright Pugson Ltd. It was one of four late Roman enclosures (1-4) found on the site and lay to the south of enclosures 1-3. The western and southern sides of this enclosure were defined by double ditches. The northern limit to the enclosure was defined by a single ditch, which formed the southern edge of enclosure 2. No eastern boundary has been found.

The ditches to the west [A12] & [A18] had an eroded V-profile and were up to 1.7m wide and 1.5m deep. The northern terminals of these ditches clearly cut the southern ditch [A4] of enclosure 3, indicating that enclosure 4 is later than enclosure 3. The southern side was probably formed by two parallel eroded V-profile ditches, 4.25m apart, which were observed at Wright Pugson Ltd.

Very little of the interior of this enclosure has been exposed. No occupation features are known in this area and burials of the late Roman cemetery were confined to its western end.

<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 6:58AM