SDO12470 - Land Adjacent to Mulberry Court, Sixpenny Handley, Dorset. Archaeological Evaluation - 1996

An archaeological evaluation was undertaken in January 1996 of an area proposed for housing development adjacent to Mulberry Court (off Dean Lane), Sixpenny Handley. The proposed development is centred on SU 00181734. Six trial trenches were excavated, representing a 2% sample of the proposed development area. A single archaeological feature, a pit of post-medieval date containing sherds of late 17th/early 18th century pottery, possible late medieval and more recent roof tile fragments, was recorded in Trench 1. A single sherd of Roman (AD 43-410) pottery and small quantities of worked and burnt flint were recovered from colluvium (hillwash) in Trenches 1 and 3 to 6. One sherd of late Bronze Age pottery (1100-700 BC) was found in the topsoil in Trench 2. Overall, it appears that the proposed development site was not subjected to intensive use in the medieval and post-medieval periods. The small group of pre-medieval finds from the evaluation were nearly all recovered from colluvial or topsoil deposits. These finds probably originate from former activity beyond the development area, on the higher ground to the south-east.