SDO11479 - 'Excavation at Common Mead Lane, Gillingham, July 1984' Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society

'Trial trenches excavated by mechanical means were undertaen by the Shaftesbury and District Archaeological Group, immediately to the north of the area of Romano-British settlement observed by the group during the development of the area in the mid 1970's. An area of approximately 65m x 55m was dissected by 1m wide trenches running N-S. All but one trench were devoid of archaeological features, though a small number of sherds of both prehistoric and Romano-British pottery were recovered from the sections The single feature located at ST79822635 was a circular layer of packed oolitic limestone 2m in diameter, laid directly upon the kimmeridge clay subsoil. The date and function of this feature remain unknown. The negative evidence revealed in this excavation suggests that the northern field boundary of the field examined in the 1970's marked the northern limit of an undefended Romano-British settlement.'