Monument record MDO28515 - Late Saxon shell midden, Poole

An extensive oyster shell midden radiocarbon dated to the 10th-12th century AD has been discovered in the Thames Street, Sarum Street and Paradise Street area of Poole. This midden lies on an an ancient foreshore and has a trampled upper surface. It may reflect commercial exploitation of oysters rather than consumption by a local population.

Excavations in the Thames Street, Sarum Street and Paradise Street area have revealed a large oyster shell midden, which has been radiocarbon dated to the 10th-12th centuries AD. This appears to lie on a foreshore sloping down to the south. The thickness of the midden layer increases southwards down the foreshore. The upper surface of this midden was crushed suggesting that it was trampled and thus used as a surface. It is possible that the midden functioned as a reclamation deposit, whether deliberate or not is uncertain. The northern (inland) limit of the midden is probably not too far north of the Town Cellars judging by the thickness of the midden beneath the northern side of the building. A thin layer of oyster shell sandwiched between layers of shingle beneath 7 High Street suggests that the midden had almost petered out eastwards at this point. To the west and northwest, oyster shell deposits were discovered west of Thames Street, which perhaps lay on a west-facing shoreline along the Back Channel. The full extent of the midden to the west is not known, but the oyster shell deposit in the excavations at Thames Street (PM9) was quite thin suggesting it is close to the northeastern extent of the midden. (1)

The oyster shell midden has been identified in the following excavations and observations by Poole Museum: The Town Cellars (PM11), Paradise Street (PM21), The Prison (PM22), Thames Street (PM9), Pex Marine (PM24) and 7 High Street (PMO 6). (1)

Analysis of the oyster deposit has confirmed that the shells were the result of deliberate deposition following harvesting from the sea. Estimates of the number of shells in this midden suggest there may be between 3,808,000 and 7,616,000 oysters. This represents an extremely large quantity of food. This, and the fact that there are no other food remains within the middens, suggests that it represents more than part of the diet of a local population and is possibly more like commercial exploitation, perhaps with the oyster meat being pickled in brine for shipment elsewhere. (2)

<1> Horsey, I P, ed K Jarvis, 1992, Excavations in Poole 1973-1983, 25-49 (Monograph). SWX3766.

<2> Horsey, I P, ed K Jarvis, 1992, Excavations in Poole 1973-1983, 60-61 (Monograph). SWX3766.

Record last edited

Aug 29 2024 3:37PM