Monument record MDO18670 - Wareham House, Alington Avenue, Dorchester; Early Bronze Age ditch

Evidence for an Early Bronze Age ditch was discovered during the laying out of the garden for the newly constructed Wareham House sometime between 1884 and 1892. The ditch had originally been observed in extending the L & SW Railway cutting east of Wareham Bridge during 1884 and was seen to continue in a WSW direction across the garden of Wareham house towards the Wareham Road. The trench was so large that it was cleared of soil which was then used for improving the garden topsoil, after the chalk surface had been landscaped. It is thought that the continuation of this ditch was seen during the excavation of Trench S at the Trumpet Major I excavation in 1986 where it was considered to form part of an Early Bronze Age system of land division.

Found during groundwork for the laying out of the garden at the rear of the newly constructed Wareham House sometime between 1884 and 1892. The original discovery of the ditch has been described in the Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Antiquarian Field Club (1). The discoveries were also described in relation to nearby Roman burials in the RCHME Dorset volume 2 (part 3)(2).

The ditch had originally been observed during the cutting and extending the L & SW Railway cutting east of Wareham Bridge during 1846 and 1884. Here the ditch was up to 2.5m deep and contained ‘much pottery, animal bones and some human teeth’. It apparently ran in a NW-SE direction (2). and was seen to continue across the garden of Wareham house towards the Wareham Road. The trench was so large that it was cleared of soil which was then used for improving the garden topsoil, after the chalk surface had been landscaped (1).

It is thought that the continuation of this ditch was seen during the excavation of Trench S at the Trumpet Major I excavation in 1986 where it was considered to form part of an Early Bronze Age system of land division (3).

Christopher Sparey Green has tentatively linked this ditch to several other sections of large prehistoric ditches within the triangle of land between Maiden Castle, Poundbury Camp and Mount Pleasant, some of which he suggests may form parts of defensive earthworks for a territorial oppida of the late Iron Age (4).

<1> Pope, A, 1900, An Ancient British Trackway, 108 (Article in serial). SDO9398.

<2> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 3, 575 (218b) (Monograph). SDO150.

<3> Davies, S M, Bellamy, P S , Heaton, M J , and Woodward, P J, 2002, Excavations at Alington Avenue, Fordington, Dorchester, Dorset, 1984-87, 38 (Monograph). SDO9565.

<4> Sparey Green, C J, 1986, 'Earthworks of Prehistoric or Early Roman Date in the Dorchester Area' Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society. (Article in serial). SDO10086.

Record last edited

Aug 28 2008 4:23AM