Monument record MDO18548 - Alington Avenue Post-Roman Feature 752

Evidence for a Post-Roman feature was discovered during excavations at Alington Avenue. In the southern half of the site, cutting the upper fills of the 2nd phase D-shaped enclosure ditch, was an irregular, roughly rectangular hollow [752]. It measured 5.7m x 6.0m across and 0.25-0.35m deep. The northern edge sloped gently but the other edges were much steeper. The base was irregular but flat with a slightly deeper hollow in the NW corner. A spread of stone rubble was scattered across the base but concentrated mainly towards the sides. Two post-holes cut the base in the NE corner and another was found immediately outside the SE and possibly outside the NW corner. It was filled with a single layer of brown loam. Superficially this feature resembles a sunken-featured building but is twice the size of examples found at Poundbury, Cowdery’s Down and West Stow and there is no evidence of the typical opposed post-holes. Dating is confused by both residual and intrusive material.

Found during a series of archaeological evaluations and excavations conducted by Wessex Archaeology at Alington Avenue, Fordington, Dorchester, between 1984-1987. The results of the excavations have been published as a Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society Monograph (DNHAS Monograph 15). The numbers in square brackets below refer to the context and feature numbers used in the published reports (1).

A spread of post-holes recorded across the centre of the site could be resolved into a small number of rectangular structures and alignments, all roughly parallel to the latest phase of Roman ditched boundaries. These structures were post-built with no surviving floor surfaces rendering the interpretation of their plans uncertain. There was only one clear building plan [1234] in the eastern end of the site and at least three other rectangular structures further to the west. The remaining post-hole alignments can be best understood as the vestiges of contemporary fence-lines. A possible sunken featured building [752] may also have been contemporary. Most finds were residual or intrusive but stratigraphical relationships suggest that these structures were relatively late in the site sequence. The buildings probably relate to a later land allotment system, which is either very late or post-Roman in date.

In the southern half of the site, cutting the upper fills of the 2nd phase D-shaped enclosure ditch, was an irregular, roughly rectangular hollow [752]. It measured 5.7m x 6.0m across and 0.25-0.35m deep. The northern edge sloped gently but the other edges were much steeper. The base was irregular but flat with a slightly deeper hollow in the NW corner. A spread of flint and limestone rubble was scattered across the base but concentrated mainly towards the sides and resembles the flint rubble found around the edge of a sunken-featured building recorded at Coburg Road, Dorchester. This was interpreted as a collapsed un-mortared flint wall. Two post-holes cut the base in the NE corner and another was found immediately outside the SE and possibly outside the NW corner, although it is unclear as to whether these can be directly associated with [752].

It was filled with a single layer of brown loam. Which contained Roman and late medieval material. It is unclear whether three chalk weights form a residual part of the stone rubble or were contemporary artefacts. Weights are common finds in sunken-featured buildings; however these are usually of the more common circular Anglo-Saxon type. The weights from [752] however are more akin to Iron Age types.

Superficially this feature resembles a sunken-featured building but is twice the size of examples found at Poundbury, Cowdery’s Down and West Stow and there is no evidence of the typical opposed post-holes. Dating is confused by both residual and intrusive material. The true function of [752] must remain in doubt, but it is tempting to see it as a sunken-featured building related to the rectangular post-built structures.

<1> Davies, S M, Bellamy, P S , Heaton, M J , and Woodward, P J, 2002, Excavations at Alington Avenue, Fordington, Dorchester, Dorset, 1984-87 (Monograph). SDO9565.

Record last edited

Aug 29 2024 12:32PM