Monument record MDO19694 - South of Tinney's Lane, Sherborne; early Iron Age pits

Excavations by Wessex Archaeology at the south side of Tinney’s Lane during 1997 revealed evidence for two adjacent and truncated early Iron Age pits in the NW corner of the site. These contained the in situ remains of at least three early Iron Age vessels, animal bone and fragments of fired clay.

Found during excavations conducted by Wessex Archaeology during January 1997 in advance of a housing development (Knotts Paddock) south of Tinney’s Lane, Sherborne. The results of the excavation have been published in PDNHAS, 121, 53-69 (1). Numbers in square brackets below refer to context numbers given in this report.

Two adjacent shallow cuts [32] & [35] in the NW corner of the site appeared to represent the remains of heavily truncated pits, c. 0.4m and 0.25m in diameter, 0.08 and 0.07m deep, with steep sides and flat bases. Between them they contained the in situ remains of at least three early Iron Age vessels, with no indication of any contents except for a single animal bone from the vessel in pit [32]. Fragments of fired clay were also recovered from both pits.

Further unabraided Early Iron Age sherds from later contexts suggest that there was more extensive activity of that period in the immediate area than is suggested by the surviving in situ remains.

<1> McKinley, J I, 1999, Excavations at Tinney’s Lane, Sherborne, Dorset; Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society (Article in serial). SDO10368.

Record last edited

Sep 19 2007 2:15AM