Monument record MDO19176 - Albert Road, Dorchester; Counterscarp bank

Part of the counterscarp bank of the Roman town defences was revealed during an excavation by Wessex Archaeology in the garden of 8 Albert Road, Dorchester in 1986. The bank survived as a deposit of chalk rubble up to 1.5 m thick. The surface of this chalk rubble sloped down steeply along the western side of the site, probably the remains of the original profile of the outer edge of the bank. This slope was sealed by a deposit of dark cess-like soil containing large quantities of 2nd-late 3rd century AD pottery, oyster shell and charcoal. Over this layer and the chalk rubble of the bank were layers of chalk rubble and silt containing a small quantity of mid to late 3rd century AD pottery, which probably represents the levelling and spreading of the bank structure.

Part of the counterscarp bank of the Roman town defences was revealed during an excavation by Wessex Archaeology in the garden of 8 Albert Road, Dorchester in 1986 (1) (2). The bank survived as a deposit of chalk rubble up to 1.5 m thick. The surface of this chalk rubble sloped down steeply along the western side of the site, probably the remains of the original profile of the outer edge of the bank. This slope was sealed by a deposit of dark cess-like soil containing large quantities of 2nd-late 3rd century AD pottery, oyster shell and charcoal. Over this layer and the chalk rubble of the bank were layers of chalk rubble and silt containing a small quantity of mid to late 3rd century AD pottery, which probably represents the levelling and spreading of the bank structure.

<1> Stacey, L C, 1986, The Excavation and Record of Romano-British Cemeteries at Albert Road, Cornwall Road and Hawthorn Lodge, Dorchester (Unpublished document). SDO9861.

<2> Stacey, L C, 1986, 'The Excavation of Burials at 8 Albert Road, Dorchester; Interim Report' Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 184 (Article in serial). SDO9858.

Record last edited

Aug 22 2024 7:37PM