Monument record MDO18470 - Poundbury Post-Roman Enclosure PR13

Post-Roman enclosure PR13 was discovered during the 1966-79 excavations at Poundbury, Dorchester. It was a curvilinear enclosure formed mainly by a number of short lengths of ditch with three possible entrances. There was some evidence for the recutting of the ditches. It lay immediately north of enclosure PR7/8. No certain contemporary features were found within this enclosure. Enclosure PR13 was assigned to phase 2 of the post-Roman settlement, which was characterised by a series of small buildings surrounded by small enclosures, which may represent individual cells for a religious (possibly female) community established 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).

Post Roman enclosure PR13 was a curvilinear enclosure defined by a number of short lengths of irregular ditch. To the south, the boundary was contiguous with the northern boundary of enclosure PR7/8. A number of the ditches or gullies had evidence for some recutting. There appeared to have been a central entrance in the southern side, which was later blocked by a short length of ditch. Another entrance gap was evident in the eastern and western sides. There were no clearly defined structures within this enclosure, but a series of stakeholes found in the western part of the area may have been the remnants of a contemporary structure. This enclosure was later in date than post-Roman structure PR9.

Post-Roman enclosure PR13 was originally included in phase VB in the published monograph (1). A subsequent review of the post-Roman evidence has placed it in the post-Roman phase 2 settlement (3). Phase 2 of the settlement is distinguished by the appearance of small terraced or sunken-floored buildings of post and wattle construction, each surrounded by irregular ditched enclosures (PR5-10 and PR13) (3). Christopher Sparey-Green has recently suggested that this settlement phase of sunken dwellings within small enclosures represent individual cells for a religious (possibly female) community established on the site of the late Roman cemetery (4).

<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 5:31PM