Monument record MDO18120 - Greyhound Yard, yard behind Roman Building 5452

During the 1984 excavations at Greyhound Yard, Dorchester, an open yard area behind the eastern frontage of the Greyhound Yard insula, specifically behind Building 5452 was defined. This contained a large number of pits including a number of cess pits. It may have been the backyard to Building 5452. The pits ranged in date from the 1st to the late 2nd century AD.

Found during the excavations carried out by Wessex Archaeology in 1984 prior to the redevelopment of the area of the former Greyhound Yard. (1) The results of the excavation were published together with the results of the adjacent Old Methodist Chapel excavations. (2) The numbers in square brackets below are context and feature numbers used in the published report (2). To the west of Greyhound Yard Building 5452 was an open yard area. The back line of this property to the west was marked by a gully [2698], later replaced by a row of postholes. This area may have been a yard associated with Building 5452 and the features related to the occupation and use of this building. A number of features were found cutting through the pre-urban soils in this area and appear to be part of the earliest activity in this area. Pit 4784 was a 0.8m deep pit just behind the northwest corner of Building 5452 and was probably used for cess disposal. It contained fish and small animal bones in its lower fill. In the centre of the yard area was a shallow scoop [4729] filled with charcoal and ash. There was also a number of postholes scattered across the area, mainly concentrated in the centre, where they seemed to form three successive posthole alignments running N-S, about 7m west of Building 5452. The function of these alignments is not known. These features are probably of later 1st century AD date. There are a number of features, including several cess pits which probably date to the early 2nd century AD. Immediately behind the southern end of Building 5452, was a 1.7m deep pit [1920] containing domestic refuse and early 2nd century AD pot. Two similar intercutting pits [4753, 2995] were found to the west of pit [1920]. The earlier of these [4753] was about 1m deep and contained a dump of at least five sheep heads. Pit [2995] was about 2.5m deep and its lower fill was a series of interleaving chalk and soil layers, above which were two bands containing large quantities of 1st century AD pottery and animal bone. The pit was sealed by a capping of chalk. To the south of these pits were two roughly square pits with evidence for vertical posts in the corners [4462, 4464]. These were similar to pit [5258] within Building 5452. They contained late 1st century AD pottery. Along the western edge of the area were three cess pits. In the north were two intercut rectangular pits [2993, 2750]. Pit [2993] was about 2.4m deep but was largely destroyed by later activity, Its eastern side was cut by pit [2750] which was a square vertical shaft about 5.2m deep. The primary deposits were largely clean layers of cess, containing only a scatter of pot, including two largely complete stamped 1st century AD Samian bowls. Above this were refuse deposits containing pottery dating to the mid 2nd century. The upper layers also contained a substantial deposit of smithing slag, some copper alloy objects and animal bone. To the south was another square vertical shaft [4161] about 6m deep. The lower deposits were cess interleaved with layers of chalk, containing pottery, animal bone and other domestic refuse. It included several complete or near complete pots and at least 11 dog skeletons. The upper part of the pit was filled with soil containing very large quantities of animal bone. This pit was probably infilled by the early 2nd century AD. The area continued to be used for cess pits into the later 2nd and 3rd century AD. Three further square cess pits were found in a line just to the north of pit [4161]. Pit [2289] lay immediately north of pit [4161] and was a square vertical shaft about 2.2m deep. The upper part had been seriously disturbed by later activity. The lower fills comprised cess containing small quantities of early 2nd century AD pot and other refuse. North of pit [2289] was pit [2311], a small rounded pit about 0.6m deep which lay adjacent to pit [2310], a square vertical shaft about 3.3m deep. The lower part of this pit contained a large quantity of refuse, including some near complete pots, and animal bone. It was sealed by a layer of chalk rubble, above which were soil layers which contained at least four dog skeletons and at least 7 neo-natal puppies. Further to the north on the same line was a square vertical shaft [2403] over 2m deep, which was not fully excavated. The upper part of the fill contained late 2nd century AD pottery. At the northern end of the area and on approximately the same line was pit [2569], a square pit over 1.7m deep and not completely excavated. It contained 2nd century AD pottery in the backfilling. Two further cess pits were found close by in the northern end of the area. Pit [2209] was a squarish pit with vertical sides over 2.8m deep, which was not completely excavated. The excavated fills of this pit were largely comprised of building debris. Pit [4621] was square vertical sided pit which was only partially excavated, which had been backfilled with deposits containing late 2nd century AD material. In the centre of the area a number of spreads of chalk rubble, forming a number of surfaces sealed some of the earlier features, such as pits [4753, 2295] and postholes. These surfaces were cut by a shallow N-S gully [2989] on the line of the earlier posthole alignments, and a large rounded pit [2740],which was about 2m deep and contained some indications of cess and produced finds suggesting it was infilled in the second half of the 2nd century AD. To the north of the gully and pit was a large shallow rectangular feature [2747], 3m wide, at least 4m long and about 0.2m deep. It had a flat level bottom and against its eastern edge flat limestone slabs had been placed to form two steps down into the feature. The excavators have suggested that it may have been a pool. This feature appears to have been filled in during the later 2nd century AD.

Record last edited

Jan 17 2024 2:45PM