Monument record MDO18465 - Poundbury Post-Roman Structure PR14

Post-Roman Structure PR14 was discovered in the southeast part of Late Roman enclosure 3, during the 1966-79 excavations at Poundbury, Dorchester. Very slight evidence for a rectangular building was found in the form of a single slot, possibly forming the southern end, and a pair of postholes, possibly forming an entrance on the east side. Structure PR14 was tentatively assigned, along with buildings PR1a, PR2b, PR3a, and PR15; 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).

Structure PR14 was found in the southeast part of the late Roman enclosure 3, on Site B. There was only very slight evidence for structure PR14, a possible beam slot or post-in-trench construction building in the area east of structures PR2a and PR3. This comprised a single slot [B130], aligned approximately E-W, and a pair of postholes, [B249] & [B349], possibly forming an entrance. No other features or deposits could be associated with this possible structure. It was one of six post-Roman buildings excavated assigned to phase 5A within enclosure 3, superimposed upon the western part of the Late Roman cemetery on the eastern slopes of Poundbury Camp. In a later reappraisal of the post-Roman settlements, this feature was tentatively assigned, along with buildings PR1a, PR2a, PR3a, PR5, PR15; 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 (3).

<1> Sparey Green, C, 1987, Excavations at Poundbury, Dorchester, Dorset 1966-1982. Volume 1: The Settlements, 12 (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 5:31PM