Monument record MDO19183 - Albert Road, Dorchester; Roman grave 19

Grave 19 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 roughly E-W and contained a supine extended adult inhumation, with the head to the east, although the skull and feet were missing. The grave probably dates to the late 3rd or 4th century AD.

Grave 19 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 E-W and contained a supine extended inhumation of an adult, with the head to the east, although the skull and feet were missing. These appear to have been removed in antiquity, perhaps were never buried with the rest of the body.

The grave was one of nine graves (together with Graves 10, 11, 15, 27, 40, 56, 80 and 82) on a similar orientation. It was different from the other graves in this group as there was no coffin and the burial had the head to the east rather than the west. 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The Excavation and Record of Romano-British Cemeteries at Albert Road, Cornwall Road and Hawthorn Lodge, Dorchester (Unpublished document).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