Monument record MDO18478 - Poundbury Post-Roman Structure PR7

APost-Roman structure PR7 was discovered within the south central part of the later post-Roman enclosure during the 1966-79 excavations at Poundbury, Dorchester. This sunken-featured structure was of sub-rectangular plan with an approximately level base. The floor was worn and a few stake-holes were revealed in the southern half, probably from internal fixtures. No certain evidence survived for the hut superstructure, a mass of tumbled limestone and flint rubble pitched as if from a dry stone wall was found infilling the hollow. This structure was assigned initially to phase VB and subsequently reassigned to post-Roman phase 2 settlement. The size of this structure is comparable to small sheds from the Roman period settlement, but it is likely that this hut served a dual domestic and workshop function. Sparey-Green has recently suggested that these sunken dwellings represent individual cells for a religious (possibly female) community established 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).

Post-Roman structure PR7 was a sunken-featured structure of sub-rectangular plan, 3.35m x 2.75m across, and up to 0.3m deep, which lay to the northwest of structure PR6 on the eastern side of Site E, within the minor ditched enclosure PR7/8 The base was approximately level with a steep western slope and gentle eastern slope. The floor bore signs of wear and a few stake-holes were revealed in the southern half, probably from internal fixtures. No certain evidence survived for the hut superstructure, although the sunken feature was filled with grey-brown soil and a mass of tumbled limestone and flint rubble pitched as if from a dry stone wall. Structure PR7 cut one of the pits of pit group iv, of the first phase of post-Roman settlement (1).


The size of this structure is comparable to small sheds from the Roman period settlement, but it is likely that this hut served a dual domestic and workshop function (1). Sparey-Green has recently suggested that these sunken dwellings represent individual cells for a religious (possibly female) community established on the site of the late Roman cemetery (4).

Post-Roman building PR7 was originally included in phase VB in the published monograph (1). A subsequent review of the post-Roman evidence has placed it in the post-Roman phase 2 settlement (3). Phase 2 of the settlement is distinguished by the appearance of small terraced or sunken-floored buildings of post and wattle construction, each surrounded by irregular ditched enclosures (PR6-10 and PR13) (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

Aug 3 2010 5:32PM