Monument record MDO18803 - Merchant's Garage, High West Street, Dorchester; medieval boundaries

Two possible medieval plot boundary ditches were found during observations and recording at the site of the former Merchant’s Garage, High East Street, Dorchester in 1983. These were shallow round-bottomed ditches aligned N-S and spaced about ten metres apart.

Two possible medieval plot boundary ditches were found during observations and recording at the site of the former Merchant’s Garage, High East Street, Dorchester in 1983 (1) (2). The two ditches were found in the western part of the site and were oriented roughly N-S and spaced about 10m apart. Both ditches were about 0.5m wide and with shallow rounded profiles, filled with dark brown soil. No dating evidence was recovered. These boundary ditches line up with the boundaries forming the fifth property from the west end of High West Street, as shown on Hutchins' 1772 map (3). The easternmost boundary had gone out of use before 1888 (4).

National Monuments Record, NMR Monument Record, SY 69 SE 385 (Index). SDO9937.

<1> Bellamy, P S, 1991, Observations at Merchant’s Garage, High West Street, Dorchester, 1983. Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 41-54 (Article in serial). SDO9677.

<2> Bellamy, P S, 1983, Merchant's Garage, High West Street, Dorchester (Excavation archive). SDO10188.

<3> Price, J, 1772, Plan of Dorchester (Map). SDO9548.

<4> Ordnance Survey, 1888, Dorchester Sheet XL.15.13 (Map). SDO10048.

Record last edited

Aug 22 2024 7:31PM