Monument record MDO8720 - Mill Stream Trial Trench, Christchurch (site X9); medieval town defences

Excavation close to the Mill Stream, Christchurch, during 1973, revealed evidence for the medieval town defences. A clay layer mixed with mortar and rubble was interpreted as deriving from the robbed town defences. This layer sealed steeply sloping waterlogged dump layers containing timbers thought to represent debris used to back fill the defensive ditch. Excavation could not progress below the waterlogged layers but auguring of the natural suggested that an earlier ditch may lay beneath the area of the rubble. 12th-13th century Pottery was recovered from the layer beneath the rubble.

D. J. Markell excavated a trial trench close to the mill stream, Christchurch, during 1973. A further trench was excavated in 1976 adjacent to and contiguous with the trial trench as part of an archaeological investigation at the Staggs site (X12). These excavations were subsequently published as a short note in DNHAS monograph 5 (Jarvis 1983).

The excavations revealed evidence for the medieval town defences. A clay layer mixed with mortar and rubble was interpreted as deriving from the robbed town wall. This layer sealed steeply sloping waterlogged dump layers, containing timbers thought to represent debris used to back fill the defensive ditch.

Excavation could not progress below the waterlogged layers but auguring of the natural suggested that an earlier ditch may lay beneath the area of the rubble. 12th-13th century Pottery was recovered from the layer beneath the rubble.

It is suggested that the excavation was located on the berm of the robbed defences.

Jarvis, K S, 1983, Excavations in Christchurch 1969-80, 47-9 (Monograph). SWX4028.

Record last edited

Oct 29 2024 4:07PM