Monument record MDO19291 - Possible Roman military ditch behind Dorchester West Station

A large V-shaped ditch was observed behind Dorchester West Station aligned roughly N-S. It has been tentatively suggested by Bill Putnam that this could be a Roman military ditch, perhaps associated with the postulated fort on the site of Dorchester. As yet no dating evidence has been obtained from this feature and it full extent is not known.

In June 2006, during the excavation of footings for a proposed new development, Bill Putnam noted a large V-shaped ditch about 3m wide and over one metre deep in the section of a footings trench. The base of the ditch was not exposed. It appeared to run in a roughly N-S direction. The ditch was filled with light brown silt, derived from chalk. No finds were recovered.

This ditch lies in the area proposed by Bill Putnam as a potential site for a Roman fort, the antecedent of the Roman town of Dorchester. The character of this ditch is similar to Roman military ditches, but the date and function of this ditch has not been satisfactorily determined yet.

Putnam, W G, 2007, Location map of feature behind West Station, Dorchester (Unpublished document). SDO10171.

Record last edited

Mar 21 2011 10:31AM