EDO4072 - Proposed Sports Centre and Cemetery, Poundbury, Dorchester; Evaluation Trench 35

In March 1997 Wessex Archaeology undertook an archaeological field evaluation of three fields between the Bridport Road and Poundbury Road, Dorchester, proposed for development. Forty machine-excavated trenches, plus additional contingency trenches, were investigated. Trench 35 originally measured 30m by 1.6m and was excavated to a maximum depth of 1.15m. It was aligned E-W, close to the northern boundary of the site. It was extended to the south to encompass a total area of 74 square metres. It contained three ditches and a possible pit ot post-hole. Ditch 3505 (1.22m wide, 0.7m deep) was aligned approximately E-W but was probably curvilinear in plan. It contained Early to Middle Bronze Age pottery in its upper fill. Animal bone, struck flint, slag and a partial ox skull (typical of deposits near ditch termini) were also recovered from its fills. It appeared to terminate near the centre of the trench, although a further ditch at the extreme west end of the trench may be the continuation of ditch 3505 and of a ditch observed in Trench 36. The southern trench extension exposed a substantial NE-SW aligned ditch (1.1m wide) for a length of 8.5m. It appeared to terminate in the northern part of the trench. The unexcavated fill contained a 0.8m wide section of unworked burnt flint and charcoal. This ditch continues the alignment of ditches observed in Trenches 37 and 34.