Monument record MDO37360 - Pits, Corfe Mullen to Salisbury Water Transfer Scheme Evaluation Trench 11

Three small undated pits cut into the top of ditch 11020 were found in evaluation trench 11 of the Corfe Mullen to Salisbury Water Transfer Scheme route. Only one was excavated and had traces of a clay lining and charcoal and slag. The record for this monument has been created with support from Wessex Water.

Three small pits (11023, 11028, 11030) were found cut into ditch 110020 in the central part of evaluation trench 11 of the archaeological evaluation of the Corfe Mullen to Salisbury Water Transfer Scheme route. Only one pit (11023) was excavated and this was about 0.5m across and 0.4m deep with a rounded base. There appeared to be the remnants of a clay lining and the fill contained slag and charcoal. On this basis, it was interpreted as a metalworking hearth, but no unequivocal metalworking debris was identified. [1]

The record for this monument has been created with support from Wessex Water.

<1> Havard, T and Nicholl, M, 2013, Corfe Mullen to Salisbury Transfer Scheme, Wessex Water, Dorset and Wiltshire: Archaeological Evaluation, 10 (Unpublished document). SDO14094.

The north-western edge of ditch 11020 (Fig. 41, Section 8) was identified centrally within the trench; its south-eastern edge lying under a baulk left unexcavated due to the presence of a service. It contained primary fill 11021 and secondary fill 11022 from which no artefactual material was recovered. Fill 11022 was cut by a metalworking pit/hearth 11023 (Fig. 41, Section 8). Elements of a primary fired clay lining 11032 were partially covered by a thin fill 11025, which contained traces of slag and charcoal and likely derived from use of the pit. An environmental sample (SS11) taken from fill 11025 contained no ecofacts or artefacts. This deposit was sealed by a second fired clay lining 11026 and a further fill 11027, which contained large quantities of slag and charcoal inclusions. Two similar adjacent pits 11028 and 11030 were not excavated.

Record last edited

Dec 30 2015 6:19PM