EDO4364 - Dorchester Prison, North Square, Dorchester; excavation 1970

Trial excavation prior to the redevelopment of demolished prison warders houses at 1-10 Castle Row, North Square was directed by Christopher Chaplin for the Ministry of Public Buildings and Works in January-March 1970. Two small trenches were excavated, revealing Roman buildings, and the ditch of the medieval castle. In Trench 1 (19.5m x 4m, aligned E-W across the centre of the site) The earliest feature was a mid 1st century pit. A timber building of the 3rd century was succeeded by a masonry building of the mid-4th century, with a timber outshut. Seven pits of similar dates to the buildings were also found. The massive ditch of the medieval castle was located twice, and a middle to late 13th century pit, presumably part of the occupation of the castle, was excavated. A truncated 14th century pit was presumably originally dug through the bank inside the ditch. The back wall of a house, which was probably late 15th century, was constructed within the castle ditch, and a series of cess pits found within the house. These ranged in date from the early 16th to the late 18th centuries. The house was demolished in the 1850's for the erection of Castle Row: the site was heavily disturbed by these buildings, their outhouses, four periods of sewers etc. Trench 2 measured 7m x 2m aligned E-W in the north of the site. The medieval castle ditch had been quarried away during the 17th century, probably to provide chalk for a lime kiln. Nineteenth century levelling covered the slopes left by the quarrying.