Monument record MDO18484 - Poundbury Post-Roman Settlement phase 3

A post-Roman settlement was found in the southern part of the early post-Roman enclosure was discovered during the 1966-79 excavations at Poundbury, Dorchester. Phase 3 of this settlement is distinguished by the appearance of buildings within a large rectilinear enclosure. It comprised the surviving elements of the two previous phases with the addition of structures PR4, PR2a and PR3b. Not all the buildings were necessarily contemporary and the extent to which specific elements of the phases 1 and 2 settlement continued into this phase cannot be known. The burnt rubble sealing structures PR2a and PR3b may indicate substantial destruction at the end of this phase. There is little evidence for the economy of this phase of the settlement specifically, although structure PR2a has evidence for iron smithing.

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).

The later refinement of the post-Roman settlement sequence at Poundbury has identified a post-Roman settlement of three broad phases which developed on the site of the main Late Roman cemetery (3). Phase 3 of this settlement is distinguished by the appearance of buildings within a large enclosure. It comprised the surviving elements of the two previous phases with the addition of structures PR4, PR2a and PR3b. The late date of the enclosure system is indicated by the way it cut across structures PR11 and PR12, corn drier 4 and also passed between PR10 and its northern enclosure ditch. The inclusion of PR4 in this later phase is based on its alignment and the similarity of its foundations to other structures of the period, although it may also be a survival of the late Roman cemetery. Christopher Sparey-Green has recently suggested that PR4 may represent some kind of church associated with monastic cells for a religious (possibly female) community established on the site of the late Roman cemetery (4).

The burnt rubble sealing structures PR2a and PR3b and other layers from this phase may indicate substantial destruction at the end of this phase (3).

Unlike the earliest phase of this settlement, there were no corn driers and little evidence for the details of the economy are available specifically for this phase of post-Roman settlement. Structure PR2a contained evidence for iron smithing.

<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 5:33PM