SDO11336 - Purbeck Mortars from 65 East Street, Corfe Castle. Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society

'In June 1999 an unfinished mortar set in the front elevation of 65 East Street was noted by the author whilst the property was undergoing alterations. The mortar has been used as a decorative feature located above the ground floor window in the smaller southern annexe' This turn was revealed to be one of thirty that had been retreived from the rear wall of the property during the alterations. They had previously been set into the old wall and rendered over remaining unnoticed. The mortars exhibit various stages of manufacture at which points they had become broken and dicarded. They were made from Burr stone, a coarse shelly limestone. It is reasonable to assume that the mortars represent wastage from a mason's yard close to the site. The freshness of the cut marks suggest that they were incorporated into the wall shortly after their original discarding. The house in which they were found dates from the 18th century but it had previously been assumed that burr stone had ceased to be quarried around 1600. This dating may need to be revised in the light of this discovery. Three of the mortars were donated by the owner of the property for further research. One is held by Corfe Castle museum.