EDO4803 - Middle Farm, Bridport Road, Poundbury, Dorchester; (Trench N)

Wessex Archaeology conducted an archaeological evaluation during February 1990, on a field east of Middle Farm, Dorchester, in advance of housing development. Fifteen machine trenches, covering some 2280 square metres, (1.9% of the development area) were excavated. Four trenches contained no visible features (Trenches E, J, K, M); two trenches only natural tree holes (Trenches A & P). The remaining 11 trenches contained archaeological features. These included nine ditch segments, one small pit, three ?marl pits, one articulated cow burial and three modern post-holes. Trench N measured 100m x 2.25m and was aligned N-S in the SW part of the site. It contained a V-shaped ditch, 3.15m wide and 1.7m deep, aligned E-W. It was filled with homogeneous yellowish-brown silty clay. It contained three sherds of Middle Bronze Age pottery and two worked flint flakes. Near the southern end of the trench was a small sub-circular pit filled with burnt flint and limestone but containing no dating evidence.