SDO20963 - Land at Market Fields, Sturminster Newton, Dorset. Archaeological Evaluation Report

‘Ecus Ltd were commissioned by Landgage Heritage on behalf CG Fry and Son (the Client) to undertake a programme of archaeological trench evaluation for a proposed residential development at land at Market Fields, Sturminster Newton, Dorset (NGR) 378800, 114560. A previous desk-based assessment (Landgage Heritage 2023) identified there was some archaeological potential for the Site. A magnetometry survey identified two anomalies suggestive of possible archaeological features as well as trends across the Site (Lefort Geophysics 2023). Thirteen of the fourteen proposed trenches were excavated across the Site, with each trench demonstrating slightly varied natural geologies. The trenches also demonstrated a lack of potential archaeological features for the Site, which corresponds to the results of the geophysical survey. The appendix of this document outlines in detail the geology, stratigraphy, and one possible archaeological feature of the site. The 14th trench (Trench 9) was not excavated as it impinged on an exclusion zone around a badger set. The results of the evaluation conformed with the geophysical results and archaeological potential of the Site outlined in the WSI and HEDBA produced by Landgage Heritage (2023). No archaeological features were observed in any of the trenches, with one possible but highly unlikely linear feature excavated and recorded in Trench 10.’