EDO4115 - Alington Avenue, Fordington, Dorchester; excavation 1985

An archaeological excavation was conducted by the Trust for Wessex Archaeology at Alington Avenue, Fordington, Dorchester over a 5 month period in 1985, following on from an Evaluation in 1984 (EDO4113) and a geophysical survey in March 1985 (EDO4114). The excavation produced a wealth of evidence for occupation and land use from the later Neolithic to the medieval period. The earliest monument was a Neolithic long barrow, aligned east-west. A bipartite, subcircular enclosure was inserted into the east end of this long barrow, probably in the Early Bronze Age, and five cremation burials were cut into the ditch sides. At the western end of the long barrow, a double ring ditch with a circular timber monument enclosed within its eastern circuit, cut through the silted up southern ditch. Further burials were cut through the ditch fills of the double ring ditch. Two mid-late Iron Age burials in pits were inserted into the eastern ring ditch. A series of irregular ditches appeared to have their origins in the prehistoric period and pre-date a large D-shaped enclosure dated to the Romano-British period. This D-shaped enclosure had a prolonged life with at least three phases of realignment and expansion and the formalisation of a droveway along its northwest side. It probably went out of use in the 3rd or early 4th century AD. Within the enclosure were three stone-footed buildings, together with a number of ovens/driers, pits and wells, part of a farming unit. Over one hundred inhumation burials of late 1st to later 4th century date were excavated. These fall into two distinct burial types: crouched burials of the Durotrigian tradition dating to the early Roman period and the more common late Roman extended burials, usually in wooden coffins. Three cremations were also found. The Durotrigian burials could not be easily associated with any other features on the site, but the later Roman burials were aligned on the D-shaped enclosure. Five rectangular timber buildings and associated post fence alignments were found across the site, together with one possible sunken floored building. These are not well dated but probably date to the Saxon period.