Monument record MDO19288 - Poundbury, Dorchester; post-Roman Structure R20b

Structure R20b was discovered during the 1966-79 excavations at Poundbury, Dorchester. It comprised a roughly rectangular terrace, which may have held a building. It was possibly contained within a small enclosure, with lengths of ditch found to the north and southeast. The soil infill suggests a 4th century date for it, but its form is similar to the post-Roman sunken-featured structures, so it may be later in date. It was originally included within the late Roman phase, but a later review of the post-Roman evidence placed it within phase 2 of the post-Roman settlement, which is characterised by small terraced or sunken-featured buildings surrounded by irregular ditched enclosures. Christopher Sparey-Green has recently suggested that this settlement phase of sunken dwellings within small enclosures represents 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).

Structure R20b lay in the northeastern part of the area on Site G. It comprised a terrace about 4.25m long and up to 3m wide, the southern end of which cut the edge of the metalling of the possible road [G1090]. Two groups of stakeholes were found to the south and east and a patch of burning was found on the eastern side of the terrace. The terrace was filled with dark grey-brown soil with limestone and flint rubble, which contained some late 4th century pottery and an earlier brooch.

To the north and to the southwest were two ditches [G1072] and [G1174] which may have been part of a small ditched enclosure surrounding R20b.

Structure R20 was originally placed within the Late Roman period in the original monograph (1). Subsequently, in the review of the post-Roman evidence at Poundbury, Christopher Sparey Green has suggested that it may belong to the phase 2 post-Roman settlement on the basis of its form (3). This phase of settlement is distinguished by the appearance of small terraced or sunken-floored buildings of post and wattle construction, each surrounded by irregular ditched enclosures (PR5-10 and PR13) (3). Christopher Sparey-Green has recently suggested that this settlement phase of sunken dwellings within small enclosures represent individual cells for a religious (possibly female) community established 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

Mar 21 2011 10:32AM