SDO16076 - A sub-Roman cemetery at Whithill Quarry Extension, Lillington, Sherborne, Dorset

An excavation took place prior to an expansion of an existing quarry. The area of land had been found in 2010 to contain human remains and further evaluation had taken place at the time. It was proposed that prior to obtaining planning consent for the quarry expansion, two areas of land would be further investigated. The report covers the excavation of apx 0.3ha in the southwest part of one of those areas. 20 graves were found containing 20 individuals however no convincing dating evidence was recovered. Radiocarbon dating of the cranial vault of two individuals provided dates of AD 585-681 and AD 560-646. Analysis suggested that this was a sub-Roman cemetery. There was an assemblage of other finds including pottery, ceramic building material, glass, metalwork and animal bone.