Windy Waddon

DDCAG members are helping Bournemouth University to unearth more information about the site of Waddon Hill, a Roman barracks and possible Iron Age hillfort. Three test pits are being opened to look for features and dating evidence. It is a very exposed site, but our intrepid diggers are unfazed!  

Some very nice laid stone coming up. 

Some dating evidence? Hopefully.

Neat excavation work is vital.

Nice view form the 'office'.

More work will be done over the next few days. Look in for more news on this interesting project. 

 

Touch the Past

Dorset Diggers Community Archaeology Group

 presents 

 TOUCH THE PAST 

 a talk by CHRISTOPHER J. TRIPP BA (HONS) MA 

 Stratton Village Hall, Dorchester , DT2 9WG 2pm, 15th November 2025

 Chris Tripp founded Dorset Diggers in 2012 . He has helped local people discover their heritage through hands on experience of archaeology at locations in Dorset: Nether Compton, Maiden Newton, Stalbridge and the Isle of Purbeck. Chris will talk about the work of Dorset Diggers and lead a handling session of the latest finds from a Deserted Medieval Village in Purbeck. Chris is an award winning archaeologist with decades of experience in Community Archaeology. He graduated from The Institute Of Archaeology (UCL) in the 1980’s, then worked with MOLA ( Museum Of London Archaeology ) where he started working in community archaeology. He won The Culture, Media and Sport Award for The Best Schools Project in 2003 . 

 DDCAG Members : Free Visitors : £5 

 RSVP : media.dorsetdiggers@gmail.com

No If's But Butts

Last year, in our 5m square trench, we had a series of intercutting small ditches running east-west. This year we confirmed that these ditches have butt-ends, or if you are posh, termini. 

The thing is, that in archaeology it is the features that count, with finds being used to date them. Finds are okay in themselves, but it is the context in which they were found that is of interest to archaeologists, as they have been constructed by people when setting up a settlement. 

When these not very exciting looking features are all dug they will allow us to understand how the village was set out several hundred years ago.   

 

Pipe Dream

As we carried on digging slots through the large ditch we were hoping that more dating evidence would emerge, and it did, all medieval pottery. As we dug down to the base of the ditch we found... a pipe! After the crying had subsided we then realised that this pipe was not on the same alignment as our ditch.

The pipe is heading off to the right and out of the trench, whilst our ditch is heading due south (this view is from the north.

So, we will continue to dig the other slots in the knowledge that we are not working on a modern feature! 

 

A day at the office

With our HLF fund we now have a new gazebo for use on site. It make for a nice place to sit and have lunch, shelter from showers and a temporary office for the paperwork. In windy weather we can have the walls in place too. 

As can be seen, it is not far from our trench, so that we can run for it when it rains. Here's Elaine digging Ditch Slot IV through the large ditch running south-north. 

Nice pottery continues to turn up. This is Ditch Slot I. We are digging four slots through the ditch.

 

 

 

Making an impression

One of the best things about archaeology is that you can make contact with a person from hundreds of years ago, simply by finding  piece of pottery. This small fragment has finger/thumb impressions on it, to make a nice decoration on the rim of the vessel. You can't get that feeling from reading a book.

 

Life's a Ditch

One thing that archaeologists are is resourceful. When we had a busted leg on our gazebo, rather than just stand around in the rain, we had to think of a way of supporting the thing. This was our answer. It worked very well - for now. 

In the meantime, we have started, at last, to dig the ditch in the main trench! The rain had done its job. We were not disappointed. As we chased the edge, it came down on to a very clean fill, so we hope that as that material is taken out a very nice profile of the feature will be had. Also, it is the last of the fills in the base of a ditch where, generally, finds are to be had. Fingers crossed.