Monument record MDO40314 - Corporation Yard, Poundbury Road, Dorchester: Ditch

A wide ditch oriented roughly N-S was found in 1931. It has been suggested that this might be part of the Dorchester Roman aqueduct, or, alternatively, a large late prehistoric ditch.

A 'wide ditch' running roughly N-S was discovered in 1931 in the Coporation Yard, Poundbury Road, Dorchester (now in Top O'Town car park). A Roman burial was found in the top of this ditch. This ditch was not excavated or further excavated. Its dimensions are not known, but it must have been at least roughly two metres wide, since it contained an extended inhumation burial laid out across it. This feature may have been part of the Dorchester Aqueduct or a branch from it. [1]

An alternative interpretation was suggested by Christopher Sparey Green, who proposed that it might be part of a series of large ditches or dykes discovered in the Dorchester area, perhaps dating to the late prehistoric period, which he suggests may be tentatively linked together to form the basis for a Late Iron Age territorial oppidum. [2]

<1> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 3, p582 no. 223a (Monograph). SDO150.

<2> Sparey Green, C J, 1986, 'Earthworks of Prehistoric or Early Roman Date in the Dorchester Area' Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society. (Article in serial). SDO10086.

Record last edited

Aug 22 2024 7:40PM