SDO12435 - New Car Park and Welfare Amenities, St Mary's Church, Litton Cheney, Dorset. Archaeological Observations and Recording

'An archaeological watching [brief] was carried out by Terrain Archaeology in March and April 2010, during groundworks for construction of a new car park/turning area and churchyard access ramp, and installation of new welfare facilities at St Mary’s Church, Litton Cheney, Dorset (centred on OS NGR SY5515290704). Parts of the foundations for the West Tower were exposed providing significant insights into its construction methods, and service-trenching through the south-western quadrant of the churchyard revealed at least twelve previously unknown human burials, all aligned east-west and probably of medieval or early post-medieval date. The survival of other burials below the level of the trench-base is inferred in this area. The most northerly burial can be assigned to the 14th century or earlier with some confidence, as it was cut by the foundations of the West Tower, which is known to have been erected in the late 14th or early 15th century. A small quantity of 11th-12th century pottery was found in a deposit pre-dating the West Tower. The southern part of the site (the new car parking and turning area) had been artificially terraced, possibly in the 18th or 19th century, and a much-ruined dry stone wall may originally have marked the southern edge of the churchyard. This wall pre-dates construction of St Mary’s church hall in the early 20th century but is otherwise not closely dated. Areas of original ground surface survived at the southern edge of the terrace but no graves were found, suggesting that the churchyard did not originally extend south of its present boundary. A small assemblage of 18th to 19th century domestic pottery, clay pipe, animal bone etc. was recovered from a relict garden soil overlying the terrace. An inscribed stone fragment discovered during grading for the access ramp was found to refit a late 17th century headstone standing just south of the chancel.'