SDO21030 - Archaeological Strip, Map & Sample Excavation. Phase EA - Woodsford Quarry East, Woodsford, Dorchester, Dorset

‘This report details the results of a programme of Archaeological Strip, Map & Sample Excavation undertaken between the 19 th March and 13th May 2024 in advance of an 11 Phase programme of gravel extraction (Phases M3 and EA-EJ) at Woodsford Quarry East, Woodsford, Dorchester, Dorset (NGR: SY 77248 89889 – approximate centre). The works, which were undertaken within Phase EA only, were carried out on behalf of Hills UK Ltd in response to Planning Reference I/E/2005/0742. Woodsford Quarry East is located to the N of the village of Crossways and SE of the village of Woodsford, approximately 6km to the E of Dorchester. Phase EA was located along the western boundary and formed one of 11 slightly irregular-shaped squared plots of flat agricultural land that measured c.56,000 sqm. The excavation revealed several roughly linear ditches and a right-angled ditch that likely represented field boundaries within an evolving rural landscape. Based on evidence from historic mapping and previous excavations undertaken in the vicinity, at least two phases of activity were identified. The earliest pre-dated the 19th Century, with one ditch in particular producing a single piece of worked flint that was potentially of Mesolithic or early Neolithic date, although a possible continuation of this feature to the W was dated to the Late Iron Age/early Romano-British period. The latest activity was early-to-mid-19th Century in date, with one of the identified ditches still extant in the surrounding landscape. Based on the palaeoenvironmental evidence, it appears that burning was taking place in the vicinity of the features during context deposition; however, the insufficient quantities of carbonised wild taxa, slag and molluscan evidence precluded any further palaeoenvironmental interpretation. Unfortunately, due to the lack of conclusive dating evidence and the limited palaeoenvironmental data, these results have little potential to address any regional or national research aims’