Monument record MDO18513 - Southfield House, Dorchester; Roman burials

Four possible Roman graves were found during evaluation excavation by Wessex Archaeology at Southfield House, Dorchester in 1987. Only two of the burials were excavated, the other two were only partially within the excavated area. The excavated graves contained extended adult inhumations, one decapitated. All four graves were aligned roughly E-W, along the southern edge of the counterscarp bank of the Roman town defences. They probably date to the 3rd-4th century AD.

Four possible Roman graves were found during evaluation excavation by Wessex Archaeology at Southfield House, Dorchester in 1987. Only two of the burials were excavated, the other two were only partially within the excavated area. The excavated graves contained extended adult inhumations, one decapitated. All four graves were aligned roughly E-W and were aligned along the southern edge of the counterscarp bank, suggesting they were dug after the construction of the defences. These burials probably date to the 3rd-4th century AD.

<1> Davies, S M and Thompson, C N, 1987, Archaeological Evaluation at Southfield House, Dorchester (Unpublished document). SDO9489.

<2> Davies, S M and Thompson, C N, 1987, Archaeological Evaluation at Southfield House, Dorchester, Dorset. Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 126-129 (Article in serial). SDO9490.

<3> Trust for Wessex Archaeology, 1987, Southfield House, Dorchester (Excavation archive). SDO10060.

<4> National Record of the Historic Environment, 1430939 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Aug 22 2024 7:30PM