Archaeological evaluation at Manor Farm, Winterbourne Abbas, Dorset

An archaeological evaluation was carried out by Oakford Archaeology in February 2025 on land at Manor Farm, Winterbourne Abbas, Dorset. The work comprised the machine-excavation of three trenches totalling 60m in length, with each trench 1.6m wide. These were positioned to provide a spatial sample of the site. The work uncovered the remains of two large sub-circular features in Trenches 2 and 3. The feature in Trench 3 contained 2 sherds of post-1780 industrial whiteware pottery and a single fragment of 19th-20th century redware rooftile, while no dating evidence was recovered from the feature in Trench 2. Although there was no evidence for clay-lining in either feature both are interpreted as dew ponds intended for watering livestock. A small assemblage of post-medieval finds was recovered from the topsoil in Trench 2, as well as a single burnt flint scraper dating from the Neolithic to early Bronze Age. No further features or dating material were found. The work uncovered the remains of two large sub-circular features in Trenches 2 and 3. The feature in Trench 3 contained 2 sherds of post-1780 industrial whiteware pottery and a single fragment of 19th-20th century redware rooftile, while no dating evidence was recovered from the feature in Trench 2. Although there was no evidence for clay-lining in either feature both are interpreted as dew ponds intended for watering livestock. A small assemblage of post-medieval finds was recovered from the topsoil in Trench 2, as well as a single burnt flint scraper dating from the Neolithic to early Bronze Age. No further features or dating material were found.