EDO5116 - South Street/ Ludbourne Road, Sherborne; Evaluation Trench 1

Lindsey Archaeological Services conducted an archaeological evaluation of land at South Street/ Ludbourne Road, Sherborne during 1998 in advance of re-development of the site as Sainsbury’s Supermarket. Three trenches were excavated. ‘Trench 1, at the west end of the site, established that the area of the possible medieval mill is heavily disturbed and that significant archaeological remains are unlikely to survive. Three ditches of possible Iron Age date were recorded in Trenches 2 and 3, located in the eastern half of the site. These ditches were sealed by a possible inundation layer at a depth which is unlikely to be impacted upon by the proposed development. Later features were post-medieval to modern and appear to have removed evidence of intermediate activity.’ Trench 1 measured 6.3m x 1.7m and was aligned approximately NE-SW at the northwestern end of the site, behind a disused stone building to the rear of Ye Olde Cottage. A layer of garden soil and an unbonded stone wall were probably associated with a garden visible on the 1st edition OS map (1886). Below this was a thick layer of stiff olive green clay which had been cut by a series of intercutting pits and gullies, also filled with grey or green clay. These themselves had been disturbed by later activity and their interrelationships were difficult to understand. The fill of one pit contained a single sherd of green glaze pottery which may have been residual (1). It is possible that these features are medieval in date.