Monument record MDO18460 - Poundbury Post-Roman Settlement on the main cemetery site

An early post-Roman settlement was found in the southern part of the early post-Roman enclosure was discovered during the 1966-79 excavations at Poundbury, Dorchester. A number of post-built structures and grain driers were established during the 5th century within the late Roman cemetery between Mausolea R7-10. Not all the buildings were necessarily contemporary but the general scheme appears to have incorporated the mausolea in a three-sided layout, open to the eastern and downhill side. The settlement may have been planned around a group of special burials downslope and in the centre of the open area to the east of the settlement. Mausolea R8 and R9, both containing painted wall plaster, appear to have been retained as important features of the settlement and it may be that this represents an early Christian monastic foundation on the site of important Christian burials.

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).

The later refinement of the post-Roman settlement sequence at Poundbury has identified a post-Roman settlement on the site of the main Late Roman cemetery, between Mausolea R7-R10, within the southern half of the early post-Roman enclosure (3). The construction of buildings, PR1a, 2b, 3a, PR5, PR15, PR16 and possibly PR14 marked a major change in the use of the cemetery, with the buildings overlying the burial rows of the formal cemetery. Not all these buildings were necessarily contemporary but the general scheme appears to have incorporated the Mausolea in a three-sided layout, open to the eastern and downhill side and covering an area 50m N-S by 30m E-W.

The settlement may have been planned around a group of special burials downslope (north of R9 and R10), perhaps originally marked by a columnated structure, and in the centre of the open area to the east of the settlement (3). Mausolea R8 and R9, both containing painted wall plaster, appear to have been retained as important features of the settlement and it may be that this represents an early Christian monastic foundation on the site of important Christian burials (4).

To the north a row of pits (pit group v), perhaps tree holes from a hedge or weathered post holes from a fence line, defined the northern edge of the settlement and separated it from another post-Roman settlement to the north of the cemetery. To the south, the earliest phase of building PR5 filled the space between mausoleum R9 and the south cemetery boundary. Immediately to the west, two large post holes on this boundary may mark a gateway to the whole complex giving access across the partly silted south cemetery boundary ditch northwards to the central open space. The western and eastern limits are less clear but uphill the post holes of structure PR16 could have been part of a western post row rather than the east side of a building. Downhill, a shallow boundary feature defined the cemeteries eastern limit and separated it from the zone of the latest Roman activity.

Six, possibly seven, structures have been identified as part of this settlement, the majority being small post-built structures of uncertain function, but a number at least may have been dwellings and others agricultural buildings. Building PR 3a was the largest structure and may have been a barn. A grain drier (drier 2) was found immediately to the north. This drier also lay adjacent to the west door of Mausoleum R8 produced charred cereal remains from its interior from a crop of post-Roman type, suggesting that this building was standing and still in use during the post-Roman period. A grain drier (drier 1) was found adjacent to building PR1a and another (drier 3) was adjacent to mausolea R9 and R10 and building PR5.

In addition, a number of groups of shallow pits or scoops (pit groups ii-v) were associated with this settlement. Their function is unclear, but may have been used as quarries for clay for cob manufacture.

The possible road metalling [G1090] may have been part of a late Roman road running towards the north or west gate of Dorchester. It is possible that this postulated road remained in use during this phase for access to the settlement.

This settlement was assigned to phase 5A in the Poundbury Monograph (1) and to phase 1 of the post-Roman settlement in a later reappraisal of the post-Roman settlements (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.

<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

Apr 2 2007 5:27AM