Monument record MDO28516 - Post-medieval oyster shell midden, Hamworthy, Poole

A thick deposit of oyster shells was found during the digging of a dock in Hamworthy in 1747. This midden is thought to be related to the 17th century commercial exploitation of oysters in Poole.

Hutchins records that in 1747 in digging a new dock for a ship at Hamworthy a large bed of oyster shells was found. This deposit was apparently six-and-a-half feet thick and was covered by about one foot of black soil. It comprised oyster shells deliberately deposited after harvesting. Hutchins identifies it as the remains of commercial oyster fishing which flourished at Poole in during the reigns of James I and Charles I (1603-1649). The shells were dumped on the shore at Hamworthy until the corporation forbade this in about 1640 or 1670, from which date the shells were deposited on the 'Oyster Bank' off Poole. (1)

The precise location of this dock is not known, but the northern side of the Hamworthy peninsula is also the location of a Late Saxon oyster shell midden, which is between 1-3.5m thick, but which lies about two metres below ground level, so it is not clear whether the observation recorded by Hutchins is of the Late Saxon midden or not. However, the shallow depth at which the oyster shells were recorded suggests that it was the 17th century rather than the 10th-12th century midden that was found.

<1> Hutchins, J, 1861, The History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset. Volume 1. 3rd edition, 44 (Monograph). SDO12569.

Record last edited

Jan 16 2013 5:17PM