Monument record MDO37368 - Late Bronze Age pit, Corfe Mullen to Salisbury Water Transfer Scheme Evaluation Trench 75

A bell-shaped storage pit was found in evaluation trench 75 of the Corfe Mullen to Salisbury Water Transfer Scheme route. This pit contained Late Bronze Age pottery and a range of plant macrofossils and charcoal suggesting it was a former grain storage pit. The record for this monument has been created with support from Wessex Water.

A bell-shaped pit (75009) was found in the northern end of evaluation trench 75 of the archaeological evaluation of the Corfe Mullen to Salisbury Water Transfer Scheme route. This pit was only partially within the trench and measured over 0.8m across and 0.44m deep. It was filled with a single fill which contained some charcoal and burnt clay and stone, together with thrity sherds of Late Bronze Age pottery. Plant macrofossils recovered from this pit included carbonised hazelnut shells, cereal grains, and charcoal from alder/hazel and hawthorn/rowan/crab apple. These plant macrofossil remains support the interpretation of a grain storage pit where fire is used to sterilise the pits in between uses and would result in small amounts of grain becoming accidentally burnt. [1]

The record for this monument has been created with support from Wessex Water.

<1> Havard, T and Nicholl, M, 2013, Corfe Mullen to Salisbury Transfer Scheme, Wessex Water, Dorset and Wiltshire: Archaeological Evaluation, 13-14, 44-45 (Unpublished document). SDO14094.

Thirty sherds of Late Bronze Age to Early Iron Age pottery were recovered from the single fill 75009 of bell shaped pit 75008 (Fig. 43, Section 16) located at the northern end of Trench 75. Charcoal and burnt clay and stone were also noted within the fill. An environmental sample (SS 5) contained an assemblage of plant macrofossils supporting the interpretation of the feature as a storage pit.

A sample was taken from fill 75009 (sample 5) within pit 75008 (Trench 75). The plant macrofossils were moderately well preserved and recovered in small quantities consisting of carbonised hazelnut shells, indeterminate cereal grain, possible spelt (Triticum spelta) cereal grain and modern bramble (Rubus spp), fat hen and Persicaria spp seeds. The charcoal was abundant and well preserved consisting of alder/hazel and hawthorn/rowan/crab apple fragments. These plant macrofossil remains support the interpretation of a grain storage pit where fire is used to sterilise the pits in between uses and would result in small amounts of grain becoming accidentally burnt.

Record last edited

Jan 4 2016 11:23AM