Monument record MDO2114 - Romano-British occupation site at Front Street, Portesham

A Romano-British occupation site. An archaeological evaluation of the location has revealed a probable occupation layer of Romano-British date that contained significant quantities of pottery.

Summary: The archaeological evaluation of a proposed housing development at Front Street, Portesham, comprised the machine excavation of three trenches in areas likely to be directly affected by proposed groundworks for house construction. All trenches contained deep soil deposits of around 1.20m, likely to represent build-up for a Medieval lynchet, which in trenches 1 and 2 was sealing an earlier, probable colluvial deposit. Natural subsoil was not reached in any trench. Below the lynchet material on the west side of the site in trench 3, was an occupation layer from the Romano-British period, of probable 3rd to 4th-century date. Artefacts recovered from this layer include native and imported finewares, as well as local Black-Burnished Coarseware, including at least one piece which had been vitrified as a result of overfiring. This indicates the presence of a high temperature kiln, furnace or oven on or adjacent to the site, which may have been used for an industrial process, possibly pottery manufacture. Any future disturbance to the most significant archaeological remains present on the site is largely dependent on the nature and depth of groundworks associated with the development, with these remains likely to be present below the Medieval lynchet infill, from a depth of around 1.20m below the existing ground level.

Conclusions: The evaluation has confirmed the presence of extensive, deep soil deposits, with a consistent depth of around 1.20m in all trenches, and therefore likely to exist across the whole site. It is probable, based on the local topography, that these deposits represent lynchet build-up, which may have been landscaped to form a broad level terrace at a later date. The artefact and stratigraphical evidence indicates a likely Medieval date for the lynchet's formation. Below this deposit was redeposited material, probably colluvium, with natural subsoil not reached in any trench.
Below the lynchet soil in trench 3, at a depth of around 1.20m below the current ground surface, was a probable occupation layer of Romano-British date. Significant quantities of pottery were recovered from this layer, which include imported finewares and local coarsewares. It is therefore likely that much of the west side of the site could contain important evidence for Romano-British occupation dating to the 3rd or 4th-century AD. Although there were no conclusive archaeological features in trenches 1 and 2, it is possible that the deposits may extend into these areas.
Perhaps the most significant finds in trench 3 were two fairly large sherds of vitrified ceramic, likely to be overfired Black-Burnished Ware pottery. This suggests the presence of a kiln, furnace or oven, possibly indicating pottery production or other type of industrial activity, on or adjacent to the site.
Any disturbance to these potentially significant archaeological remains, is largely dependent on the nature and depth of groundworks associated with the future development of the site. The probable lynchet soil is likely to be present across the whole of the site to a depth of around 1.20m below the existing ground level, with archaeological features or deposits potentially present at this depth or below. If normal-depth strip footings are used then it may be possible to avoid any disturbance to the significant Roman-British levels. (1)

<1> Valentin, J, 1996, An Archaeological Evaluation of a Proposed Housing Development at Front Street, Portesham, Dorset (Unpublished document). SDO12286.

Record last edited

Aug 22 2024 2:38PM