Monument record MDO18447 - Poundbury Post-Roman pit group v

Post-Roman Pit group v comprised a linear alignment of pits to the north of structure PR15 and mausoleum R8 (possibly still extant at this time), discovered during the 1966-79 excavations at Poundbury, Dorchester. All were weathered hollows filled with chalky grey-brown soil, although those nearer to structures contained quantities of limestone and flint rubble. The pits appeared to be paired and following the alignment of the earlier northern boundary of enclosure 2 and continuing it NW across the former late Roman cemetery. This pit group seems to represent some kind of boundary. A single radiocarbon date of AD360± 80 (uncalibrated) was obtained from one of the pits. Pit group v was assigned, along with buildings PR1a, PR2b, PR3a, PR15, PR16 and possibly PR14; pit groups ii-v; grain driers 1,2,3 & 5 to phase 1 of the post-Roman settlement. This represented the earliest post-Roman settlement on the site of the late Roman cemetery.

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 excavation report and archive (1)(2). Further refinement of the post-Roman settlement sequence has been undertaken by Christopher Sparey Green since the initial publication of the site and this has been taken into account in the following description (3) (4).

Pit group v comprised a linear alignment of pits to the north of structure PR15 and mausoleum R8 (perhaps still extant at this time). All were weathered hollows filled with chalky grey-brown soil, although those nearer to structures PR9 & PR10 contained quantities of limestone and flint rubble. They varied in size between 2.0m x 2.6m across and 0.75m deep and 0.9m diameter, 0.15m deep. The pits appeared to be paired and followed the alignment of the earlier northern boundary of enclosure 2 and continued it northwestwards across the former late Roman cemetery. The continuation of the alignment uphill was interrupted immediately west of the enclosure PR13 and two smaller postholes [E185] & [E200] lay in the gap. A radiocarbon date of AD360 ± 80 (HAR-2281) was obtained from charcoal at the base of pit [E199], slightly earlier than the dates obtained for the post-Roman grain driers.

This pit group may have represented some kind of boundary, or perhaps reflect some, now invisible, division, in part following the layout of the late-Roman cemetery. The pits could have contained trees or some other visible marker.

Pit group v was one of six post-Roman pit groups assigned to phase 5A (1). In a later reappraisal of the post-Roman settlements, this feature was assigned, along with buildings PR1a, PR2a, PR3a, PR5, PR15, and possibly PR14; pit groups ii-iv; grain driers 1,2,3 & 5 to phase 1 of the post-Roman settlement. This represented the earliest post-Roman settlement on the site of the late Roman cemetery (3).

<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.

<3> Sparey Green, C J, 1996, Poundbury, Dorset: settlement and economy in the Late and post-Roman Dorchester (Article in monograph). SDO10040.

<4> Sparey Green, C J, Living amongst the dead: From Roman cemetery to post-Roman monastic settlement at Poundbury (Article in monograph). SDO10041.

Record last edited

Aug 3 2010 5:30PM