EDO4283 - Southern Dorchester By-pass, Soil Test Pit T31/1

The excavation of 23 soil test pits for geotechnical soil testing prior to the construction of the Dorchester By-pass was observed by Wessex Archaeology during August and September 1986. Test Pit T31/1 was excavated by machine and revealed a 0.33m depth of ploughsoil overlying a 0.18m thick friable reddish-brown clay colluvium above the natural chalk. Beneath the colluvium was an irregular feature 1.7m long and over 0.5m wide filled with reddish-brown clay with frequent chalk pieces. A single worked flint flake was recovered from this feature. The function and date of this feature is not known.