Monument record MDO19377 - Dolphin Development, Christchurch (site X11.3); earlier medieval pits

An excavation on the site of the Dolphin development, Church Street, Christchurch, during 1974-5, revealed four early medieval pits. Two of the pits [F18, 107] were circular with a diameter of 1.2m with steep sides. Pit [F56], dated to the 11th-12th century, was much larger, 1.4m wide, 1.8m long and 1.5m deep. The fourth pit [F14] was sub-rectangular, 2.4m long, 0.9m wide and 0.3m deep with sloping sides. All the pits contained small amounts of pottery in sandy well-fired fabrics.

M. Fox for Poole Museums, directed a rescue excavation in advance of the Dolphin development, Church Street, Christchurch, during 1974-5 (site X11.3). The excavation was subsequently published in DNHAS monograph 5 (1). The excavations revealed four early medieval pits, all containing horizontal lenses of clean sandy silt and dark loam. The sections suggested that they had been left open and silted up naturally. Two of the pits [F18, 107] were circular with a diameter of 1.2m with steep sides. Pit [F56], dated to the 11th-12th century, was much larger, 1.4m wide, 1.8m long and 1.5m deep. The fourth pit [F14] was sub-rectangular, 2.4m long, 0.9m wide and 0.3m deep with sloping sides. All the pits contained small amounts of pottery in sandy well-fired fabrics and small quantities of bone. [F56] also contained an iron arrowhead. These earlier medieval pits were all located within 5m of the modern Church Street frontage.

Record last edited

Nov 23 2023 4:47PM