Monument record MDO21909 - Medieval building at Ham Farm, Gillingham

An evaluation in 2003 in advance of the construction of houses at Ham Farm, Gillingham, revealed a building comprising of four shallow, robbed out foundation trenches or possibly beam slots, covered by a burnt layer. The building probably dates to the second half of the 13th century.

Observations and recording during development revealed four shallow linear features interpreted as beam slots of a building. In the was a hearth with a pot sunk into the ground, thought to be evidence of some sort of fermentation process. It was noted that, while similar examples of low status medieval buildings have a wide variety of pottery types, pottery at Ham Farm dominated by Laverstock ware, along with a finer sandy ware. Small quantities of fired clay were also found. Excavators thought that the building probably dated to the second half of the 13th century, and may have been associated with the nearby deer park.

<1> Marriott, H, 2003, Ham Farm, Gillingham, Dorset. Archaeological Watching Brief Report (Unpublished document). SDO16462.

<2> Gardiner, J, 2003, Gillingham, Ham Farm; Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society (Article in serial). SDO11435.

Record last edited

Oct 17 2019 11:25AM