Monument record MDO20317 - Fosters School, Tinney's Lane, Sherborne; Middle-Late Bronze Age settlement in Area 3

An open area excavation at the former Foster's School playing field, Tinney's Lane, Sherborne was conducted by Exeter Archaeology during 2002 in advance of development for housing. This revealed extensive evidence for settlement in Area 3 dating from the middle to late Bronze Age. This comprised four circular post-built huts, three with porches, and a rectangular four post structure. The Middle-late Bronze Age pottery assemblage from the site is one of the largest ever recovered.

Exeter Archaeology conducted an open area excavation at the site of the former Foster's School playing field, Tinney's Lane, Sherborne during the summer and autumn of 2002 in advance of development for housing. A draft report has been written for future inclusion within the Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society [1]. The excavation followed on from an earlier evaluation and survey on the same site conducted during 1998 [2][3]

The site was excavated in three main areas, Area 3 was located in the north eastern part of the site. The prehistoric deposits had been trucated by recent ploughing and only features cut into the bedrock survived in this area.

The excavation revealed extensive evidence for settlement dating from the middle to late Bronze Age throughout the site. In Area 3 this comprised four circular post-built huts, three with porches, and a rectangular four post structure.

'Structure S12: This circular structure consisted of a c. 8m diameter ring of ten postholes evenly spaced c. 3m apart… Postholes 1056, 2624 and 2635 may have formed internal supports. Twelve sherds of pottery and fragments of perforated fired clay objects were found within features associated with this structure.

Structure S13: This circular structure consisted of a c. 6.9m diameter ring of 12 postholes spaced between 2-3.5m apart, and seven internal postholes… A porch was present on the southeast side and the postholes forming this contained the greatest quantities of pottery, including wasters… To the south and west of S13 were several pits that had been infilled with a mixture of waste derived from pottery production and domestic activities.

Structure S14: The postholes of this four-post structure averaged 0.25m deep and were filled\with mixed yellowish-brown silty clay and frequent heat-discoloured limestone. No finds were recovered.

Structure S15: This circular structure was under 5m in diameter and consisted of six postholes set at regular 2m intervals around central posthole 2605… Most of the artefacts were found within the northern part of the structure and comprised fragments of a perforated fired clay object, animal bone and worked flint…

Structure S17: This circular structure was c. 6.5m diameter and consisted of 11 postholes spaced between 1-2m apart… the entrance was on the southeast side. There was also a central supporting post, but there was no hearth or other internal spatial subdivisions. A small quantity of pottery, fragments of burnt calcite and fragments of a shale armlet were recovered.' [1]

<1> Best, J, 2008, A Late Bronze Age Pottery Production Site and Settlement at Foster's Field, Tinney's Lane, Sherborne, Dorset (Unpublished document). SDO10587.

<2> Valentin, J , Chandler, J and Geophysical Surveys of Bradford, 1995, The archaeological assessment and evaluation of land adjacent to the former Foster’s School, Tinney’s Lane, Sherborne, Dorset (Unpublished document). SDO10359.

<3> Valentin, J, 1995, Further archaeological evaluation of land adjacent to the former Foster’s School, Tinney’s Lane, Sherborne, Dorset (Unpublished document). SDO10361.

Record last edited

Jul 8 2008 2:58AM