EDO7837 - Shaftesbury Cattle Market; evaluation 2020

An archaeolgical evaluation of the site of Shaftesbury's former cattle market was conducted by Groundworks Archaeology on behalf of LIDL Supermarket prior to development. The excavation consisted of twelve 20m x 1.80m trenches and was undertaken by mechanical excavator. There were two additional trenches (Trenches 13 and 14) which were inaccessable to excavation due to the presence of a spoil heap. Trench 5 contained a single ditch with an orientation of north-west to south-west. It measured 0.34m deep and the single fill of brown silty clay from within which a single well stratified sherd of 17th-18th century Verwood ware. Trench 7 contained a single ditch measuring 0.29m deep which cut the natural and had a sharp break of slope to the top. This ditch contained a single brown clay silt. Trench 9 extended beyond the footprint of the former cattle market. The southern end of this trench was very similar the the other trenches and comprised of crushed demolition material including concrete slab Trench 11 was located under the former cattle market which truncated the deposits below. The top layer deposit was a rubble layer with demolition material. It cut the natural layer at 0.55m deep. Trench 12 was located under the former concrete ramp to the cattle pens. In the gravel bedding layer a concrete slap measuring 0.22m thick was found. This overlay a dark black silt layer up to 0.13m thick which is likely to represent a trample layer from the early days of the cattle market.