Monument record MDO2388 - Harper House, Hound Street, Sherborne; medieval occupation

A small archaeological evaluation in 1991 revealed evidence for 12th-14th century activity including pits, structures and a possible midden. This activity appears to predate the earliest documentary evidence for activity on Hound Street

AC Archaeology conducted an archaeological evaluation of the area of a proposed extension to Harper House, Hound Street, during 1991. The work comprised the excavation of a single trench measuring 7m x 1m and aligned approximately NW-SE. The hand dug trench revealed evidence for 12th-14th century activity including pits, structures and a possible midden. This activity appears to predate the earliest documentary evidence for activity on Hound Street (1). A series of layers and stony spreads contained almost exclusively medieval finds. Removal of these layers revealed a limestone and sandstone courtyard or pavement and a single pit, both dated to the 12th-13th century through the associated pottery. Considerable amounts of pottery (7.7kg) and animal bone (7.0kg) were recovered given the small size of the excavated area (2)

Record last edited

Jan 4 2016 12:21PM