Find Spot record MDO18218 - Roman coin from Somerleigh Court, Dorchester

A barbarous Roman coin of the Constantine family was found by Mr. Hardy in 1956 from Somerleigh Court Garden, Dorchester. Farrar number 2 (1958) described as a copper alloy coin of the Constantine family with a barbarous overstrike dating from not before AD 350. Obverse: CONSTAN[ , helm. Head r. ; oversrtike, Emperor spearing fallen horseman. Reverse: [GLORIA EXERCITVS], standard between 2 soldiers (c.335-340); overstrike, crude head, blundered lettering [1].

No grid reference has been recorded for this find spot and the description is ambiguous due to the fact that Somerleigh Court had gardens on the NW and S sides. A new boiler house for the hospital was constructed in the gardens to the NW in 1958 [2] and it is possible that the coin may have been found during preparatory work in 1956 (although such work is conjecture). Alternatively the coin may have been found during gardening in any part of the gardens. The mapped position, therefore, to the south of Somerleigh Court is partly arbitrary.

<1> Farrar, R A H, 1957, Roman Coins Found in Dorchester. Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 108 (Article in serial). SDO9825.

<1> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1959, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1957, 108 (Serial). SDO57.

Record last edited

Aug 22 2024 7:28PM