Saxon Southampton; a New Review - Archaeology Data Service

PHILIP HOLDSWORTH
A number of other features are to be associated with the building. Of these,
a cross wall is indicated by a line of post-holes at right angles to the western
doorpost.
DISCUSSION OF THE BUILDINGS
With the exception of Buildings 7 and 8, the structures are of types well
described from Anglo-Saxon studies and add little to existing knowledge. Only
Building 4, with its use of two different constructional techniques, is of particular
interest, inasmuch as it confirms the hypothesis that buildings of ground-sill
construction tend to be later than those with their wall posts set in trenches.l"
However, Buildings 7 and 8 are worthy of detailed consideration. Both were
buildings of paired post-hole construction; Building 7 was certainly bow-sided and
Building 8 probably so. The pottery suggests that the destruction of Building 8
took place early in the 9th century.
Although only a portion of the middle of each building was excavated, the
overall dimensions of both can be estimated by comparing their mid-widths with
the ratios of length to mid-width and of mid-width to end-width of other bowsided
buildings (TABLE I). Both continental and British exarriples have been used,
although the numbers are limited as preliminary reports and summaries rarely
give measurements.
TABLE I
DIMENSIONS OF HAMWIH BUILDINGS 7 AND 8 COMPARED
WITH OTHER BOW-SIDED BUILDINGS
Dorestad"
Buckdcn"
Chaltonl"
Cheddar!"
Average ratio
Building 7
Building 8
Length: mid-width
4.1 : I
2.7 : I
2.2 : I
3.9: I
3.22 : I
Mid-width
5·70 m.
6.80m.
Estimated
length
18.35 m.
21.89 m.
Mid-width: end-width
1.25 : I
I. I 3 : I
I. I 8 : I
1.33 : I
1.22 : I
Estimated
end-width
{.67 m.
5.57 m.
Assuming that between a third and a half of the length of each building was
excavated, it is probable that these estimated dimensions are correct to within a
5% error.
i s P. V. Addyman, 'The Anglo-Saxon house: a new review', Anglo-Saxon England, I (1972),306.
17 W. A. van Es, 'Excavations at Dorestad: a pre-preliminary report', Berichten Rijkdienst v.h. Oudheidkundig
Bodemonderzoek, XIX (1969), 183-207.
18 C. F. Tebbutt, 'An r rth century "boat-shaped" building at Buckden, Huntingdonshire', Proc, Camb.
Antiq. Soc., LV (1962), 13-15.
1. P. V. Addyman and D. Leigh, 'The Anglo-Saxon village at Chalton, Hampshire: a second interim
report', Medieval Archaeol., XVII (1973), fig. 6.
'0 P. Rahtz, 'The Saxon and medieval palaces at Cheddar, Somerset: an interim report of excavations
in 1960-62', Medieval Archaeol., VI-VII (1962-3), 3-66.