Monument record MDO19177 - Albert Road, Dorchester; Roman grave 31

Grave 31 was one of a number of Roman graves revealed during an excavation by Wessex Archaeology in the garden of 8 Albert Road, Dorchester in 1986. The grave was aligned N-S and contained the supine extended inhumation of an individual aged 13-15 with the head to the south, with coffin nails positioned around the body indicating the former presence of a wooden coffin. It had a scattering of hobnails around the feet and eight small segmented cylindrical jet or shale beads were recovered from the area of the crossed wrists. The grave probably dates to the late 3rd or 4th century AD.

Grave 31 was one of a number of Roman graves revealed during an excavation by Wessex Archaeology in the garden of 8 Albert Road, Dorchester in 1986 (1) (2). The grave was aligned N-S and contained the supine extended inhumation of an individual aged 13-15 with the head to the south. It contained coffin nails positioned around the body indicating the former presence of a wooden coffin. It had a scattering of hobnails around the feet and eight small segmented cylindrical jet or shale beads were recovered from the area of the crossed wrists. These beads are of a 2nd-4th century AD date.

The grave was one of three graves from this site (together with Graves 59 and 98) on a similar orientation and are perhaps the earliest graves on the site. The precise date of the burial is not known, but it cuts through a deposit containing mid-late 3rd century material, suggesting a late 3rd or 4th century date for the grave.

National Monuments Record, NMR Monument Record, SY 69 SE 356 (Index). SDO9937.

Wessex Archaeology, 1986, 8 Albert Road, Dorchester (Excavation archive). SDO10109.

<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The Excavation and Record of Romano-British Cemeteries at Albert Road, Cornwall Road and Hawthorn Lodge, Dorchester (Unpublished document).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