EDO4144 - Town Walls, Colliton Park, Evaluation Trench C

An archaeological evaluation by means of trench excavation carried out in advance of proposed repairs to the town walls at Colliton Park, Dorchester was undertaken by AC archaeology during March 2001. Five trenches were excavated, three (A-C) on the south side of the north wall of Colliton Park and two (D-E) on the north side of the wall. Trench C was 2m long and located south of the town wall and N of the Roman Town House. It was excavated to a maximum depth of 1.1m. The upper surviving layer of the Roman ramparts was recorded at the base of the trench; a sandy clay, dipping to the south at this point. No artefacts were recovered from this layer. Above this intact Roman layer was a layer of uncertain date, containing a single sherd of Roman pottery. It comprised a silty clay, also dipping to the south, up to 0.35m thick. Above this was 0.55m of modern soils.