Monument record MDO18616 - Colliton Park, Dorchester; Roman Building VII

The fragmentary remains of a large Roman rectangular walled courtyard (numbered as Building VII) were exposed in the west part of Colliton Park during excavations in 1937 and 1938. This lay just to the east of the Roman town rampart, immediately north of Building III and south of Building I. It appears to be aligned on the Roman road that crossed Colliton Park. Its full extent to the east was not determined, but it may have continued as far as the street and the northern side appears to have contracted and been redefined by a ditch running E-W. A number of features were found in this courtyard. To the east was Building II found during the 1937-1938 excavations and Building 250 found during the 1984 excavations. Near the SW corner was one or possibly two ironsmithing hearths associated with a large quantity of ash and many fragments of iron. Another similar ironsmithing hearth was found in the eastern part of the courtyard associated with Building 250.

The fragmentary remains of a large Roman rectangular courtyard were exposed in the west part of Colliton Park during excavations in 1937 and 1938. Due to the outbreak of World War II, the excavations were never completed or written up. The following account is based on the interim report (1) and the Royal Commission Inventory entry (2).

Building VII lay just to the east of the Roman town rampart, immediately north of Building III and south of Building I. It appears to be aligned on the Roman road that crossed Colliton Park. Building VII is probably not a building as such, but the remains of a walled courtyard. Part of the SW corner and part of the northern end of the west wall was exposed. Its full extent to the east was not determined, but it may have continued as far as the street. The northern side was not found, but a ditch running E-W cut across the northern part of the west wall and continued eastwards almost as far as Building II. This may have been a later re-defining of the northern side of the courtyard. A line of postholes was found just north of the ditch close to its western end and may represent the remains of an earlier fence.

A number of features were found in this courtyard. To the east was Building II found during the 1937-1938 excavations and Building 250 found during the 1984 excavations. Near the SW corner was a forge consisting of a low kerbed platform of limestone, shield-shaped in plan with a splayed extension to the kerb at the narrow end. Some upright slabs and settings of animal bones flanked each side. The wider western end was heavily burnt. Another similar structure was found about 1.2m to the NE. This exhibited no traces of burning. Some 4th century New Forest ware pottery was found sealed beneath this second structure. A large quantity of ash was found spread across the area and sealing the tail of the rampart. Many fragments of iron, mainly short iron rods, some drawn out to form small leaf-shaped ‘spearheads’ and others which had been looped at one end were found within the forge. Another similar kerbed limestone hearth was found about 25m to the northeast, associated with Building 250 (3). A large number of iron objects and fragments were found around this hearth, suggesting it was used for iron smithing.

National Monuments Record, NMR Monument Record, SY 69 SE 24 (Index). SDO9937.

Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1937-1938, Colliton Park, Dorchester (Excavation archive). SDO10066.

<1> Drew, C D, and Collingwood Selby, K C, 1938, 'The Excavations at Colliton Park, Dorchester: Second Interim report; Excavations carried out in the season of 1938' Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 60-62 (Article in serial). SDO9765.

<2> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 2, 558 (Monograph). SDO149.

‘(183) BUILDING, much damaged, 120 ft. S. of the S. range of (182) (68979091; Buildings II and VII in interim report, Drew and Selby, op. cit. on p. 553 (1938); Figs. pp. 554, 559).

Fragmentary wall footings enclosed two rectangular rooms but no floors survived; a small oven was said to have been found by contractors some yards to the S.E. An E. to W. ditch (the 'West Ditch') 130 ft. long and 5 ft. wide, with some post-holes on the N. side, apparently bounded the property to the N. (182) and cut into the rear chalk capping of the town rampart; its filling throughout included New Forest pottery, consistent with its attribution to the 4th-century house (182). Walls to the W. and S., 'Building VII', probably with an isolated length to the E., evidently formed a rectangular enclosure about 192 ft. by at least 110 ft., which had been contracted on the N. when the 'West Ditch' was dug. Its alignment conforms quite well with that of the street (180) to the E. The W. wall footings were covered by the extreme tail of the Roman town rampart, in the second phase proposed in this volume, after c. A.D. 300 (see p. 543); the fresh state of the footings suggested no great interval of time between the constructions.

Towards the S.W. angle of the enclosure was a forge consisting of a low kerbed platform of limestone slabs, shield-shaped in plan and 4 ft. long E. to W. by some 3 ft. wide at most. Short extensions of the kerb splayed out at the narrow E. end, and upright settings of slabs and of animal shin-bones, parallel with the end splay and apparently without functional purpose, flanked both sides. The W. end of the platform was heavily burnt, and ashes spread over the whole area, sealing the tail of the town rampart and including many short iron rods, in some cases drawn out to form small spear-heads. A similar platform, unburnt and 4 ft. to the N.E. but not on the plan, is dated by New Forest ware below it to the 4th century.’

<3> Smith, R J C, 1993, Excavations at County Hall, Colliton Park, Dorchester, Dorset, 1988 in the North-West Quarter of Durnovaria, 91 (Monograph). SDO9660.

Record last edited

Aug 22 2024 7:30PM