Monument record MDO18438 - Poundbury Post-Roman Structure PR11

An eroded terrace, which probably held a post-Roman structure (PR11) was discovered at the northern end of Site E, during the 1966-79 excavations at Poundbury, Dorchester. The only remains on this terrace was a possible drip gully on the southwest side. This possible structure (together with structure PR12, pit groups vi-vii and grain drier 4) formed a small settlement in the northern end of the earlier post-Roman enclosure and probably dating to the 5th century AD.

Found during the excavations directed by Christopher Sparey Green, for the Dorchester Excavation Committee, between 1966 and 1979 during development of the Grove Trading Estate on the eastern slopes of Poundbury Camp, Dorchester (1). The numbers in square brackets below refer to the context and feature numbers used in the published excavation report and archive (1)(2). Further refinement of the post-Roman settlement sequence has been undertaken by Christopher Sparey Green since the initial publication of the site and this has been taken into account in the following description (3).

At the northern edge of Site E, within the northern end of the earlier post-Roman enclosure were the slight remains of an eroded terrace, probably for a building (structure PR11). The eroded terrace was about 6.1m long and 2.45m wide and very shallow. The nature and form of any structure on the terrace is unclear. A possible drip gully was found on the SW part of the terrace, otherwise no other traces of a structure were identified.

This possible structure was originally assigned to phase VA in the original monograph publication (1). In a later reappraisal of the post-Roman settlements, this structure was assigned, along with PR12, grain drier 4 and pit groups vi & vii, to phase 1 of the post-Roman settlement. This represented the earliest post-Roman settlement, to the north of the main cemetery and possibly contemporary with the latest phase of burial (3).

<1> Sparey Green, C, 1987, Excavations at Poundbury, Dorchester, Dorset 1966-1982. Volume 1: The Settlements (Monograph). SDO9630.

<2> Sparey Green, C, 1966-1979, Poundbury, Grove Trading Estate, Dorchester (Excavation archive). SDO10096.

<3> Sparey Green, C J, 1996, Poundbury, Dorset: settlement and economy in the Late and post-Roman Dorchester (Article in monograph). SDO10040.

Record last edited

Aug 3 2010 5:29PM