Monument record MDO2430 - Bronze Age ring ditch, Sherborne Abbey Primary School, Lenthay Road

A short length of a curving ditch was excavated within Trench 1 during an archaeological evaluation of the Sherborne Abbey Primary School replacement site in 1998. This ditch had a projected diameter of 15-19m, assuming it was a segment of an annular feature. This is similar to a ring ditch excavated slightly to the NE in Trench 2.

Southern Archaeological Services conducted an archaeological evaluation on land at the western end of Lenthay Road in advance of the proposed building of the Sherborne Abbey Primary School replacement site between 12 and 19 January 1998.

Nine trenches… were excavated by JCB. Two possible ring features 15-19m in diameter,initially identified through geophysical survey, may be the ploughed out remains of Bronze Age round barrows.

Trench 1 measured 30m x 1.8m, was aligned NW-SE and was located in the SW corner of the proposed western playing field. Four linear features were observed in the trench. Three were probably post-medieval drainage features associated with N-S aligned trends initially revealed through geophysical survey. The fourth linear [109] was curved and ran across the central part of the trench. It was 1.40m wide and 0.25m deep. The fill was a very dark grey silty clay loam. It had probably been truncated through ploughing. The diameter of the feature, calculated from the short length of the circumference observed, appeared to be c. 15-19m, assuming the feature is circular. might possibly represent the truncated remains of a Bronze Age round barrow.

It possibly represents the ploughed out remains of a Bronze Age round barrow, although no datable finds were recovered (1).

Brading, R, 1998, Sherborne, Lenthay Road; Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society (Article in serial). SDO10397.

<1> Brading, R, 1998, Summary report on an archaeological evaluation at Sherborne Abbey Primary School replacement site Lenthay Road, Sherborne, Dorset. (Unpublished document). SDO10355.

Record last edited

Oct 11 2022 12:58PM