Monument record MDO4358 - Iron Age/Romano-British settlement at Coldstream Dairy, Milborne St Andrew

The building of Bladen Dairy in 1929 revealed Iron Age and Romano-British occupation debris, including pottery and animal bones, and inhumation burials. An archaeological evaluation in 1996 revealed a sequence of linear features aligned east-west and other features at about 1.50m below the current ground surface. Health and safety considerations prevented further investigation, but it was possible to recover sufficient material from the upper fillings of these features to show them to be of probable Iron Age/Romano-British date. In 2018 an archaeological evaluation of a proposed development site to the west revealed further evidence of late Iron Age/Romano-British activity in the form of a group of postholes, gullies and a pit, though dating evidence was limited.

SY 807978 (4), Iron Age and Romano British occupation debris and inhumation burials were found east of Milborne St Andrew in 1929 during the building of Bladen Dairy. Rescue work during construction on the site revealed 87 irregularly placed pits, several with traces of hearths. Many human bones were found on the eastern extremity of the area and two small graves and one larger grave which contained 5 or 6 skeletons "carelessly buried" were noted. Long deep trenches about 8ft deep and 14ft wide at the top apparently of later date than the pits, were seen and some flint masonry "of Romano British date" was also exposed. Pottery suggested continuous occupation of the site from the late 1st century BC until the 4th century AD and included La Tene III, Samian and New Forest Ware. A Roman coin of 365 AD and a Bronze Age sherd were also found.

Site listed by Whimster (5) under ditch-burials, although he says an Iron Age date cannot be established. They possibly belong to a Romano British occupation phase. (2-5)

<1> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1930, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1929, 45-46 (Serial). SDO33.

'The site of a Romano-British Settlement has lately been discovered on the high ground above Milborne St. Andrew on the north side of the Blandford-Dorchester road. This has been due to the excavation of the ground by Mr. Debenham's workmen preparatory to building operations started in November-the surface of the ground at that time being grass land without mounds or any indication being given of what lay below the surface.

To start with, the workmen cut a road-way at right angles to the main road, and very soon came across a trench about eighty yards long, starting from east to west; and then, after about fifteen to twenty yards, turning north. It contained five or six skeletons at the east end, lying in a row with heads towards the west. They were both male and female, and were clumsily buried-some lying face downwards. A little beyond this, other graves were disturbed. One contained a complete skeleton with a perfect jaw. All traces of these trenches have now disappeared, except for two shallow graves, the sections of which can still be seen in the chalk wall at the side of the excavated area. A small hidden trench of dark earth was also exposed near the road, and contained flint flakes and an imperfect arrow-head. A broken urn of Romano-British pottery was also found by the workmen in the long trench. About 200 yards north-west of this site, a large area was excavated to prepare for the erection of another building. This was twenty-two yards by thirty-one yards, and from four feet deep on one side to eight feet deep on the opposite side. Here the excavators cut through, and bodily removed a whole net work of trenches:-on all sides in the chalk walls can be seen the sections in various shapes and sizes. Some are wedged-shaped ; some straight-sided ; some widening at the bottom ; others are rounded. They range from two feet to eight feet deep. They all contain loose earth and flints ; fragments of pottery and bones are frequent. The few worked flints that have been found are rough-one scraper was of an unusual type. One wide shallow trench, five feet wide by two feet deep shewed the site of a fire, with brittle flints, charcoal remains, and charred bone.
In a trench cut for a water pipe leading into this square area was found a fragment of bone, polished, and with a diamond pattern cut on the outside surface. This appears to have been turned on a lathe and may have been the handle of a weaver. '

<2> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1931, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1930, 10-18 (Serial). SDO34.

'Early in the year 1929 information reached me that the workmen in the employ of Mr. Debenham, when digging the foundations of the new milk factory close to the main road above Milborne St. Andrew had unearthed some very ancient human bones. These remains had been found in a trench in the chalk which had been destroyed, though some sections of wedge shape ditches and small graves could still be seen in the side of the chalk cutting.
From then onwards, as the digging of foundation drains and the excavation of ground for a very large tank proceeded, the existence of a quantity of ancient pits and ditches dug in the chalk sub-soil came to light. Careful watch was kept and the workmen were encouraged to look for and put aside anything of interest. Measurements of a great many pits that were uncovered were taken and are recorded on the plans. The site is one and a half miles from the nearest point on the Roman road from Sarum to Durnovaria.
As far as can be ascertained, the area of this early settlement covered about 800 square feet. I have accounted for 87 pits; 30 of these clustered on the West side of the site and did not contain any human bones. The burial place seems to have been on the eastern extremity. Many human bones were turned out. The sections of two small graves could be seen ; one larger grave contained five or six skeletons, these were removed by the workmen before I was notified, and were reported to have been found in a condition that showed that the bodies had been carelessly buried. One at least was female.
The pits varied in depth from 4 feet to 9 feet and they also varied in shape. Many had level floors and were wider at the base than at the summit, others were straight sided, some the shape of a truncated cone, and some of an inverted cone.
All these pits were filled with rubble silting in which were found pot sherds, animal bones, clay, charcoal, oyster shells, and occasional rough flint implements. Several pits showed traces of fire hearths. There was apparently no communication between the pits, but the presence of long deep wide trenches was revealed. These appeared to be of a later date than the pits, as in some cases they cut into and went through the pits.
Most of these ditches or trenches were about 8 feet deep and 14 feet wide at the top. Sections could be traced at various points over the area now covered by Mr. Debenham's buildings as indicated on the plan. Some flint masonry of Romano-British date was disclosed, though such a small portion that its purpose could not be ascertained.
The irregularity of the siting of the pits and the ditches which crossed the village recall the same features in the Romano-British villages excavated by General Pitt-Rivers in Cranborne Chase. According to the types of pottey found, the occupation of this site must have extended over a considerable period. There are fragments of bronze age pottery ; and the later pottery covers a range from about BC 50 to the 4th century AD. There was New Forest ware, various types of Romano-British, the smooth close grained black, soft red, coarse brown, and red Samian. There were three pieces of imitation Samian, cream body, covered with red paint, one rosette stamped. It was made in the New Forest (Roman Pottery made at Ashley rails, New Forest, by Heywood Sumner, F.S.A. pp. 18-25).
A small bronze Roman coin was found resting in the fragmentary base of an amphora and is attributed to the 4th century 365 AD. The animal bones prove the presence of equus (small horse), bos longifrons (small ox) sheep or goat, and sus sp. (pig).
The skull, humerus, radius, and other bones of the small horse were found at the bottom of a 9 feet pit. At the bottom of an adjoining pit 9 and a half feet deep was a large upper stone grinding quern practically round, diameter 23 inches, and from 1 and a half to 4 inches thick.'

<3> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 6in, 1968 (Map). SWX1540.

(SY 807978) Settlement (NR) (site of) (NAT)

<4> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume III (Central) Part 2, 179 (Monograph). SDO136.

'Iron Age and Romano-British occupation debris and inhumation burials were found east of Milborne St. Andrew village in 1929 during the building of Bladen Dairy (SY 807978). The site is on a S.W.- facing slope of Chalk at about 310 ft. above O.D. Some 90 pits, 4ft-9ft. deep, and ditches 14ft. wide and 8ft. deep were noted, as well as some flint masonry. The pottery suggested continuous occupation from the late 1st century BC to the 4th century AD and included Samian and New Forest ware. Animal bones and several inhumation burials were also found. (Dorset Procs. LI (1929), 45-6; LII (1930), 10-18. OS 6" 1968)'

<5> Whimster, Rowan, 1981, Burial practices in Iron Age Britain: a discussion and gazetteer of the evidence c 700 BC-AD 43, 28, 243 (Monograph). SDO17451.

<6> Cox P, Chandler J and Valentin J, 1996, A Preliminary Archaeological Assessment at the Coldstream Dairy, Milborne St Andrew, Dorset (Unpublished document). SDO14034.

<7> Valentin J, 1996, An Archaeological Evaluation of a Proposed Redevelopment at the Coldstream Dairy, Milborne St Andrew, Dorset (Unpublished document). SDO14033.

<8> Capps, P and Kendall, M, 2018, Land North of Blandford Hill Road, Milborne St Andrew, Dorset. Archaeological Evaluation (Unpublished document). SDO16315.

<9> Historic England, Historic England Archive, F54/140/7 (Index). SDO14738.

PLAN OF IA/RB SETTLEMENT. PROBABLY OCCUPIED FROM C1BC-ADC4 ACCORDING TO POTTERY EVIDENCE

<10> National Record of the Historic Environment, 455836 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Mar 3 2023 4:46PM