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POUNDBURY

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DESCRIPTION

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Earthwork remains of an Iron Age multivallate hillfort; excavation has uncovered slight evidence of Mesolithic to Bronze Age occupation of the site and Roman buildings.

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(SY 68259112) Poundbury Camp (OE) (1)

A mutilated multi-vallate hill fort, not on a detached hill but in a commanding position, enclosing 15 acres. Excavated in 1939 by K M Richardson. On three sides it has two banks and ditches, the best preserved portion being in the West; and on the north, where natural defence is strong, it has an inner bank and a scarp between two ditches which merge into one near the north east corner of the camp. These now appear as two terraces, the outer rampart was probably levelled by the construction of the Roman aqueduct which runs between the inner and outer ditch. The only original entrance is on the east side at A where the ditch is interrupted by a solid causeway. Other entrances are modern. The inner rampart, which was revetted by wood and later stone walling, and ditch, was Iron Age 'A', probably pre-Maiden Castle, and the outer bank and ditch and additions to the inner bank were Iron Age 'C'. There was no evidence of Iron Age 'B' work.
Slight evidence of late Neolithic to Early Bronze Age occupation was found but without associated structural features. The site was never seriously occupied and no hut sites were found. It was a refuge. Some Romano-British activity and mutilation took place in the 4th century though pottery found may be debris from Durnovaria. A Roman burial was found at 'B' (see SY 69 SE 1). Finds include a brooch of circa AD 25-60 which is reminiscent of La Tene II and another further debased, a gouge-shaped bone tool of probably Iron Age B-C and degenerate bead rim pottery. Excavated by E Cunnington (2) (?1894-5). Some Roman pottery and a spur were found. (2-3)

The present appearance of this camp is of an area encircled by one strong steep-sided bank except in the North where it is weak and degenerates to a terrace towards its eastern end. This inner bank has a much mutilated and weak outer bank in the West and South where the outer slopes flow gently to the foot of the inner bank with no intervening ditch except in the north west. The outer bank is replaced by a terrace in the east and in the north the Roman aqueduct occupies the course of a possible outer bank though the existence of an outer bank would have appeared doubtful in view of the general steep natural slope and the weak nature of the inner bank. Entrances in the north west, south west and south east appear modern while the entrance at 'A' is simple. (4)

Excavation in 1966-7 outside the north end of the east rampart, about SY 68499113, revealed foundations suggesting a complex of stone-roofed building lying close to the outer ditch of the Iron Age
defences, here filled in during Roman times with spoil from
levelling, and from the digging of the aqueduct. Chips of stone on
the floor of one building, including a piece probably from a
sarcophagus lid, suggest it may havebeen either a workship or a
mausoleum. Slots probably representing the foundations of a timber
building were also found. The excavations showed that a small bronze
bowl and a votive axe-head discovered in 1943 were probably a
foundation deposit beneath one of the buildings.
Scattered finds of 4th century pottery in the ditches and interior of the fort in the 1939 excavations suggest activity in or near Poundbury in the 4th century, and a coin hoard (SY 69 SE 78) was concealed circa AD 353 in the western inner ditch. Moule records a loose fragment of mosaic recovered from the river below Poundbury, a coin of Faustina II also from the river (see SY 69 SE 50), and a crop mark in the interior of the fort at about SY 68249105, thought to show a building about 20ft by 12ft. (5-7)

Poundbury (name confirmed) is generally as described excepting that the double ramparts and intermediate ditch can be traced around the west and south sides, and the outer ditch only on the west sides (see plan). There are now no remains of the terrace on the east, described in 1954, and no bank within the garden to the south-east. A mound at SY 68409114 within the hillfort appears to be modern (see ground photographs).
Revised at 1:2500 on MSD. (8)

(SY 684911) Excavation of the eastern defences near the north-east corner, were carried out in 1980 prior to the extension of an existing car park. A section of the inner ditch near the foot of the inner rampart, showed it to be a steep-sided 'V'-shaped ditch 3.65m deep and 7.60m wide at the top and separated by a 13.0m gap to the outer ditch.There was no trace of the outer ditch; it was possibly destroyed during construction of the Aqueduct (Lin 117) (9). (SY 68289105: sited from plan) (11). Oval marks in the south-east corner of the camp, may represent hut circles; (SY 69179112) a square mark north-east of the existing barrow (SY 69 SE 69), perhaps a Romano-Celtic temple, are visible on 1976 air photographs (10). Square crop mark just visible on air photographs (12) at SY 6917912. (9-12)

SOURCE TEXT

( 1a) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

OS 25" 1929

( 2) General reference

Antiq J 20 1939 pp429-448 (K M Richardson)

( 3) General reference

Proc Dorset Nat Hist Archaeol Soc 16 1895 pp48-54 (E Cunnington)

( 4) Field Investigators Comments

F1 JR 01-SEP-54

( 5) General reference

Proc Dorset Nat Hist Archaeol Soc 88 1966 p110 (C J S Green)

( 6) General reference

Proc Dorset Nat Hist Archaeol Soc 89 pp133-135 (C J S Green)

( 7) Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England) 1970 An inventory of historical monuments in the County of Dorset. Volume two : south-east [in three parts]

Page(s)487-9

( 8) Field Investigators Comments

F2 NJA 23-APR-81

( 9) General reference

Proc Dorset Nat Hist Archaeol Soc 102 p90 (A H Graham)

( 10) General reference

Proc Dorset Nat Hist Archaeol Soc 98 1976 p56 (L Keen)

( 11) General reference

Wessex Archaeol Unit plan

( 12) General reference

APs (RAF CPE/UK1934/2085-6 17.1.47)

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