Monument record MDO18457 - Middle Farm, Dorchester; Late Bronze Age pits, Trench 2

A group of eleven Bronze Age pits were found in Trench N and Trench 2 during the evaluation and excavation at Middle Farm undertaken by Wessex Archaeology in 1990 and 1992. These pits lay to the east and northeast of roundhouses 1613 and 1622 and were bounded on the east by ditch 1216. It is unclear whether some or all of the pits were contemporary with the houses. Most of the pits were sub-circular in plan with steep sides and flat bases. Pit 1291 lay within roundhouse 1613, but it is unclear if the two are related. Its charcoal-rich fill contained a large number of sherds of Late Bronze Age pottery, worked flint, animal bone, fragments of shale bracelets, a thin strip of copper alloy and some burnt stone and flint. Three pits (1110, 1112, 1114) lay in a line to the NE of roundhouse 1613. All three pits exhibited evidence for structured deposition, with very large quantities of Late Bronze Age pottery (including a number of almost complete vessels), and burnt animal bone.

A group of eleven Bronze Age pits were found in Trench N and Trench 2 during the evaluation and excavation at Middle Farm undertaken by Wessex Archaeology in 1990 and 1992 (1) (2) (3). These pits lay to the east and northeast of roundhouses 1613 and 1622 and were bounded on the east by ditch 1216. It is unclear whether some or all of the pits were contemporary with the houses. Most of the pits were sub-circular in plan with steep sides and flat bases, with the exception of pit 1611 which was subrectangular. They were between 1.15m-2.3m across and 0.25m-1.4m deep.

Pit 1291 lay within roundhouse 1613, but it is unclear if the two are related. It contained three charcoal-rich deposits, containing a large number of finds, including 551 sherds of Late Bronze Age pottery, 92 pieces of worked flint, animal bone, fragments of shale bracelets, a thin strip of copper alloy and some burnt stone and flint.

Three pits (1110, 1112, 1114) lay in a line to the NE of roundhouse 1613. All three pits exhibited evidence for structured deposition, with very large quantities of Late Bronze Age pottery (including a number of almost complete vessels), and burnt animal bone.

<1> Butterworth, C , and Gibson, C, 2004, Neolithic Pits and a Bronze Age Field System at Middle Farm, Dorchester. Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 15-25 (Article in serial). SDO9654.

<2> Smith, R J C, 1992, Middle Farm, Bridport Road, Dorchester. Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 239 (Article in serial). SDO9655.

<3> Davies, S M, and Pearce, P, 1990, Middle Farm, Bridport Road, Dorchester. Archaeological Assessment Stage 2: Trial Trenching (Unpublished document). SDO9986.

Record last edited

Dec 11 2006 5:11AM