Monument record MDO7632 - Iron Age and Romano-British occupation, East Holme

SY 90808616 Swanage Railway Bridge. Occupation debris has been found in cleaning the bed of the Frome S of Worgret. Romano-British pottery, possibly derived from a site on the Valley Gravel terrace to N. was first noted in 1899. Recent finds of coarse pottery (in Dorset County Museum) include sherds of the 3rd or 4th century. (1-2)

Work was carried out on the flood plain of the River Frome at Worgret, west of Wareham, during construction of the Purbeck to Southampton pipeline (Maynard 1988). Because of the wet conditions, a large amount of organic material survived, including a number of wooden structures of Roman date. These appear to have been inundated by a rise in the water table, and were used as the dumping site for a large amount of iron slage, subsequent to a C14 date of AD470-590. The waterlogged conditions encouraged the preservation of remains of wood and leather, while seeds and pollen were also recovered. In addition, during construction of the pipe trench, evidence was seen for two buried river beds, which lay over 1m below the present stream beds. One of these beds was associated with Roman material, while the other contained three tree trunks, one of which gave a C14 date of 4140-3940 BC.

A complete Late Iron Age urn was found in August 1990. It was fished out of the river after a tree fall, so had probably come out of the river bank. Retained by the finder. (Watkins 1991).

Maynard, D, Excavations on a Pipeline near the River Frome, Worgret, Dorset; Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 77-98 (Article in serial). SDO17150.

Watkins, D R, Personal communication: Dai Watkins, poole Museum Service, February 1991 (Verbal communication). SDO21264.

Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 3, 601 (Monograph). SDO150.

‘(13) Swanage Railway Bridge (SY 98 NW). Occupation Debris has been found in cleaning the bed of the Frome S. of Worgret (90808616). Romano-British pottery, possibly derived from a site on the Valley Gravel terrace to N., was first noted in 1899. Recent finds of coarse pottery (in D.C.M.) include sherds of the 3rd or 4th century. (Dorset Procs. XX (1899), 149.)’

Papworth, M D J, Trust for Wessex Archaeology, 1983, Isle of Purbeck Survey, IOP 129 (Index). SDO147.

'Site from the river bed of the Frome, probably transported to the area from a site upstream, perhaps in West Holme. The river is flankd by fields in pasture. 7/7/D.'

<1> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1899, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Antiquarian Field Club, 149 (Serial). SDO13.

<2> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1993, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1992, 258-259 (Serial). SDO92.

<3> National Record of the Historic Environment, 456692 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Jan 15 2025 10:57AM