Monument record MDO19022 - South Grove Cottage, Trinity Street, Dorchester; Earlier Roman activity

Evidence of possibly second century AD activity was found during an excavation at South Grove Cottage, Trinity Street, Dorchester in 1938. This comprised a series of post holes, a pit, and a curvilinear gully of possible second century date, which appears to be the primary activity in this area of the Roman town.

A series of postholes, a gully and a pit were found cut into the natural chalk during an excavation at South Grove Cottage, Trinity Street, Dorchester in 1938. The postholes did not form any coherent pattern and were filled with brown clay. A samian sherd of second century AD date was recovered from one posthole. The gully was curvilinear and only partly exposed within the excavated area. It was cut by or cut a pit (Pit 1) which produced a second century AD samian sherd.

These features were sealed beneath a thick layer of ashy soil containing very large quantities of pottery, animal bone, tile, and painted wall plaster of second century or later date. This layer was covered by a thin layer of red ash. Another pit (Pit 2) was cut through these layers. These deposits suggest there was a period of abandonment or rearrangement of this part of the town in the second or third century. (1) (2) (3)

<1> Kirk, G E, 1939, A Roman site in Trinity Street, Dorchester. Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 48-59 (Article in serial). SDO9762.

<1> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1940, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1939, 48-59 (Serial). SDO13165.

<2> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 3, 562, no. 191; 572, no. 215b (Monograph). SDO150.

<3> Kirk, G E, 1938, South Grove Cottage, Trinity Street, Dorchester (Excavation archive). SDO9780.

Record last edited

Aug 22 2024 7:35PM