Monument record MDO8431 - Iron Age and Romano-British settlement near Strouden Farm, Bournemouth

A number of pits and ditches were observed, and pottery and other objects of Iron Age and Romano-British in date found during gravel extraction in 1929-1931. This cluster of features and finds was interpreted as a settlement.

A number of finds were recovered by workmen working in a gravel pit opened by Bournemouth Corporation between 1929-1931. J B Calkin was informed of the discoveries and made frequent visits to the site and salvage excavated several features. About a dozen pits and several ditches were identified, but no definite house sites. Two ditches were found running into a sump two metres deep and another ditch was traced for about 18 metres. The finds recovered were mainly pottery, but a quern fragment and some whetstones were also found. The pottery was mainly late Iron Age and Roman in date and included significant quantities of Durotrigian pottery, a sherd of samian and some New Forest wares. A small quantity of abraded Early Iron Age pottery was also found.The site was interpreted as a small settlement of Iron Age and Roman date. (1)
During 1929-31 road making and gravel excavation to the N W of Strouden Farm yielded considerable remains of a hitherto unknown Romano-British settlement and a number of ditches or pits was exposed. In one instance two ditches were found running into a sump nearly 7ft deep and another ditch was traced for a distance of 60ft. Finds included a few sherds of EIA pottery, domestic pottery (50 BC-50 AD), Romano-British pottery, one fragment of Samian, New Forest ware and a miscellaneous assemblage of sherds of various periods. Somewhere in the 4th cent. the story of Strouden Farm closes. Finds in the Calkin Collection, British Museum. <2-4>

This site is devoted in the main to allotments; a certain amount of the ground is, however, waste. No surface finds were made during perambulation. <5>

Area now fully developed with housing and a school. No information was gained on any possible subsequent finds. <7>

<1> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 6in, 1931 (Map). SWX1540.

(SZ 10589464) Site of (TI) Romano-British Village (GS)

<2> Calkin, J B, 1934, The Book of Bournemouth, 22 (Monograph). SWX3649.

<3> Calkin, J B, Private note book (Unpublished document). SDO19819.

<4> Calkin, J B, Annotated Record Map Corr 6, 1949 (Map). SWX8214.

<5> Colquhoun, F D, Field Investigators Comments FDC, F1 FDC 20-NOV-51 (Unpublished document). SWX2609.

<6> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1965, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1964, 125-130 (Serial). SDO64.

<7> Wardale, C F, Various, Field Investigators Comments CFW, F2 CFW 24-MAR-69 (Unpublished document). SWX2704.

<8> National Record of the Historic Environment, 458796 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

May 5 2023 5:26PM