Monument record MDO18736 - Wadham House Roman Activity West of Building B

Evidence for Roman activity was discovered during excavations behind Wadham House, High West Street, Dorchester in 1968. At the west end of the site two sub-rectangular pits were excavated; Pit 2 and Pit 3. Pit 2 was located to the north of Pit 3 and measured 1.2m x 1.1m x 1.8m deep. Its uniform filling of dark brown silty soil was flecked with charcoal and contained a few broken limestone roof tiles. Pit 2 dates to the 4th century and may be associated with a putative Late Roman timber building at the east end of the site. Pit 3 lay partly under the southern edge of the site, but measured 2.1m across and was only excavated to a depth of 2.7m for safety reasons. Only the top fill contained pottery but it was cut through a layer of orange ‘clayey turf’ and seems to date from the late third or early 4th century. This pit has been interpreted as a possible cess pit associated with a Late Roman masonry building (Building A) at the east end of the site. Three post holes also cut the orange ‘clayey turf’ layer at the west end of the site and may also be of Roman date.

Found during the excavation of a 27.5m x 3m trench during December and January 1968-9, dug in advance of the redevelopment of the back garden of Wadham House, 50 High West Street, Dorchester. The Excavation has been published as part of the ‘Dorchester Excavations Volume 1’ (Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society Monograph 2) (1).

At the west end of the site two sub-rectangular pits were excavated; Pit 2 and Pit 3. Pit 2 was located to the north of Pit 3 and measured 1.2m x 1.1m x 1.8m deep. Its uniform filling of dark brown silty soil was flecked with charcoal and contained a few broken limestone roof tiles. Pit 2 dates to the 4th century and may be associated with a putative Late Roman timber building at the east end of the site.

Pit 3 lay partly under the southern edge of the site, but measured 2.1m across and was only excavated to a depth of 2.7m for safety reasons. Only the top fill contained pottery but it was cut through a layer of orange ‘clayey turf’ and seems to date from the late third or early 4th century. This pit has been interpreted as a possible cess pit associated with a Late Roman masonry building (Building A) at the east end of the site.

Three post holes also cut the orange ‘clayey turf’ layer at the west end of the site and may also be of Roman date.

<1> Draper, J, and Chaplin, C, 1982, Dorchester Excavations Volume 1: Excavations at Wadham House 1968; Dorchester Prison 1970, 1975 and 1978; and Glyde Path Road 1966, 3-26 (Monograph). SDO9690.

<2> National Record of the Historic Environment, 1410290 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Aug 22 2024 7:31PM