SDO15015 - St Thomas Church, Melbury Abbas, Dorset. Archaeological Watching Brief Report

‘Wessex Archaeology was commissioned by Chris Romain Architecture, on behalf of St Thomas’ PCC to undertake an archaeological watching brief in the churchyard of St Thomas’ Church, Melbury Abbas, Dorset (NGR 388214, 120069). The watching brief consisted of monitoring groundworks associated with the installation of an internal toilet and kitchenette area. These comprised a section of drainage and the excavation of an area up to 3.5m long, 1.7m wide and 2.0m deep to hold a septic tank within the southern part of the churchyard, just to the south of the chancel. The watching brief was undertaken on the 24th to the 26th September 2013. This watching brief identified the remains of at least fourteen in situ burials in addition to a quantity of disarticulated human bone suggesting a larger number of internments. Such a deep sequence and concentration of burials is typical for a churchyard that is documented to have been in use from at least the 18th century, but most likely has a much longer history.’