SDO15853 - Archaeological Evaluation at St James Church Field Shaftsbury

'As part of the evaluation of the field adjacent to the extended churchyard of St James’ Church, Shaftesbury a desk-based assessment was carried out (Richards 2016). This incorporated the results of small scale test pitting carried out as part of a school project in 2012 and of an analytical earthwork survey carried out in 2016 (Corney in Richards 2016). Among the other earthworks, including a row of house platforms on the more southerly side of the field, the survey identified one low bank, orientated North-South, within the area that would be affected by the proposed car park construction. On the advice of the County Archaeological Officer this was evaluated prior to the submission of a planning application. ' 'The evaluation demonstrates that elements of the identifiable earthworks located in the upper part of the field represent the position of wall footings which, on ceramic evidence, date to the 12/13th century. The inclusion of what appears to be mortar or plaster fragments in the lower levels investigated suggest that the footings may belong to a domestic structure, an interpretation supported by the large quantities of medieval pottery recovered from a small sample trench. The nature and extent of these footings will be investigated further by means of geophysical (resistivity) survey in February 2017. In addition there is evidence for Mesolithic activity although this is clearly not in situ.'