Monument record MDO6134 - Town Farm, Dean Lane, Sixpenny Handley

Rescue excavation during development revealed evidence of medieval settlement. Features recorded included several earthwork enclosures adjoining Dean Lane, and at least one building of cob and timber and partly roofed with slate. Finds from the site included early medieval pottery, suggesting an early origin for the settlement.

<1> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1989, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1988, 155-156 (Serial). SDO88.

During development of land in Dean Lane, Sixpenny Handley, considerable evidence for Medieval settlement was uncovered, those features left accessible during the building operations being recorded in a rescue excavation.
Irregularities in the ground surface had indicated the likely sites of Medieval enclosures and house platforms over an area of 0.9 hectare adjoining the north-west of Dean Lane 150 meters from the crossroads with High Street. The site lies on a gentle slope to the coombe bottom along which Dean Lane runs but originally also the line of a Winterbourne. Observations by Martin Green during clearance of ground in August 1988 confirmed Medieval occupation here, a considerable quantity of stratified late Saxon and Medieval finds being recovered. Apart from a large amount of early Medieval pottery this includes a silver halfpenny, two iron keys, two iron knives and fragments of greensand quernstones. Most notable amongst the pottery were three sherds of a large multi-handled storage jar with stamped decoration and dating to the Saxo-Norman period; amongst the ironwork the two knives were interesting as of a type current in the Saxon period.
Because of these finds a limited rescue operation was mounted to record the archaeological features revealed by stripping of the topsoil. Four areas were investigated, thereafter only general observations made during building operations.
Development of this site has revealed considerable evidence of Medieval occupation including at least one cob and timber building partly roofed in slate and surrounded by earthwork enclosures, adjoining Dean Lane. Some unstratified finds suggest and original occupation in the Saxo-Norman period but the bulk of the pottery should date to the 12th and 13th centuries; the roofing material should be of late Medieval date but pottery of that date was rare. The lack of post-Medieval finds shows that most of the field remained as pasture thereafter but some structures, perhaps outbuildings of Town Farm, were erected close to the lane. Similar settlement remains on both sides of the lane to the south, near the cross roads with the main street of the village, have previously been observed and, with the latest finds, suggest a significant area of shrunken settlement on this side of Medieval Village, extending south-west to the area of Frogmore Farm and Manor Farm where other earthworks exist in areas scheduled for development.

Record last edited

Dec 20 2022 3:46PM