EDO5082 - Land adjacent to the former Fosters School, Tinneys Lane, Sherborne; evaluation trench 3

AC Archaeology conducted an archaeological desk based assessment and evaluation during 1995 of land adjacent to the former Foster’s School, Tinney’s Lane, Sherborne, in advance of proposed development. The work comprised the examination of existing archaeological, cartographic and documentary sources, geophysical survey and the excavation of 10 trenches with a total length of 568m and 1.6m wide. The trenches were located according to the results of the geophysical survey. Evidence for extensive ridge and furrow was revealed, representing part of the Newland medieval open fields. Evidence for former field boundaries, probably of post-medieval date, was also revealed. A number of other geophysical anomalies were shown by subsequent excavation to be features and layers dating from the Neolithic period with some containing Peterborough Ware. Several pits were shown to be Bronze Age in date and possibly funerary in nature as suggested by the presence of cremated bone. This evidence suggests the presence of a significant Neolithic settlement. Trench 3 measured 50m x 1.60m and was oriented approximately NE-SW across a gradual S-facing slope at the eastern end of the site. 0.20m of topsoil overlay 0.12m of dark brown silty clay subsoil. Several subsoil features were identified. [F50] was a pit or large post-hole, oval in plan and containing 1 sherds of middle Bronze Age pottery and a flint flake. [F65] was a roughly circular post-hole containing charcoal flacks but no artefacts. [F62] was a roughly circular post-hole containing 3 sherds of probably neolithic pottery. [F58] was a post-hole roughly oval in plan and containing 3 sherds of early neolithic pottery. Four further small pits or post-holes contained neolithic pottery in their upper fills but were not excavated (1).