Monument record MDO18446 - Poundbury Post-Roman pit group iv

Post-Roman Pit group iv comprised a complex of three pits cut by structure PR7, discovered during the 1966-79 excavations at Poundbury, Dorchester. All three were rounded or oval soil-filled hollows and the largest had been re-cut twice. These shallow eroded circular or oval hollows appear to have no particular function except perhaps as quarries for chalk or chalky soil employed in cob production. Pit group iv was assigned, along with buildings PR1a, PR2b, PR3a, PR15, PR16 and possibly PR14; pit groups ii-v; grain driers 1,2,3 & 5 to phase 1 of the post-Roman settlement. This represented the earliest post-Roman settlement on the site of the late Roman cemetery.

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) (4).

Pit group iv comprised a complex of three pits [E107], [E122] & [E243] was cut by structure PR7. All were rounded or oval soil-filled hollows, between 0.9m and 1.2m diameter and up to 0.6m deep. The largest [E107] had been re-cut twice. These shallow eroded circular or oval hollows appear to have no particular function except perhaps as quarries for chalk or chalky soil employed in cob production.

Post-Roman structures PR7 and PR15 overlay this pit group.

Pit group iv was one of six post-Roman pit groups assigned to phase 5A (1). In a later reappraisal of the post-Roman settlements, this feature was assigned, along with buildings PR1a, PR2a, PR3a, PR5, PR15, and possibly PR14; pit groups ii-v; grain driers 1,2,3 & 5 to phase 1 of the post-Roman settlement. This represented the earliest post-Roman settlement on the site of the late Roman cemetery (4).

<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.

<4> Sparey Green, C J, Living amongst the dead: From Roman cemetery to post-Roman monastic settlement at Poundbury (Article in monograph). SDO10041.

Record last edited

Aug 3 2010 5:30PM