Monument record MDO19924 - Bridport Tannery, Ropewalks, Bridport: Post-medieval activity

Two post-medieval pits and a well pre-dating the tannery (built c. 1820s) were found during a watching brief undertaken by Southern Archaeological Services Ltd on the site of the Bridport Tannery in 1998.

Two post-medieval pits and a well pre-dating the tannery (built c. 1820s) were found during a watching brief undertaken by Southern Archaeological Services Ltd on the site of the Bridport Tannery in 1998. (1) (2)

Underlying the southern wall of the former tannery building was a square pit 54, about 2.8m across and over 0.8m deep. It was filled with gleyed very dark silty clay containing a number of finds including post-medieval pottery, 18th century clay tobacco pipe, slate, 18th century glass bottle, fragments of sandstone and Purbeck marble, etc. This pit pre-dates the construction of the tannery in the 1820s. The other pit (64) lay to the west. It was steep-sided and flat-bottomed, measuring 1.4m across and 1.0m deep, and containing three fills, the middle one containing some post-medieval redware pottery.(1)

A well with well-built limestone steyning was found in the middle of the southern side of the site of the tannery. It is probably post-medieval in date. It appears to be earlier than the tannery as it was covered by the cobbling associated with the tannery. (1)

<1> Brading, R, 1998, Summary Report on an Archaeological Watching Brief at Bridport Tannery, Rope Walks, Bridport, Dorset, June 1998 (Unpublished document). SWX8607.

<2> Brading, R, 1998, 'Bridport Tannery' Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society (Article in serial). SDO10481.

Record last edited

Aug 30 2024 11:17AM