SDO9679 - 'Roman Britain in 1970: Southern Counties' Britannia

Dorchester (SY691903): (i) a section of the south rampart of the town was cut c. 40 m from the SW angle, at Bowling Alley Walk, in continuation of a trench dug in 1969. The chalk rampart of 1969 was secondary to a primary bank 15m wide, at whose tail was a chalk-and-flint foundation 3m wide, sealed by the same turf-line as the bank itself. The later rampart was not less than 27m wide. There was no sign of the town-wall. (ii) At the SW angle of the town, stripping of the surface of Great Western Road exposed the ditch system, indicating a total width across the defences of not less than 75m. (iii) At Dorchester Hospital (SY690904), (a) excavation at the rear of the west rampart in the gardens of Almshouses nos. 12-15, West Walk, revealed a sequence of chalk or cobbled roadways between the bottom of the rampart on one side and a covered footway on the other. There were fragmentary buildings further east. (b) Limited excavation in the angle between the two ranges of almshouses in West Walk revealed three successive masonry buildings of the fourth century. (iv) At Greenings Court (SY694908), an E-W road was laid in the first century, almost immediately widened to 9m and subsequently three times resurfaced, the last being in the late fourth century. A fence separated the road from a first-century timber building to the north. In the second century this northern area was a dump for wood ash; rubble from the demolition of a hypocaust was dumped there in the third century. p279. [Excavations for the Dorchester Excavation Committee and the DoE were directed by Messrs R Bradley, J P Greene, W G Putnam and D J Viner; info from Prof B W Cunliffe.] (v) At the Prison (SY691908) a two roomed masonry building was uncovered. pp279-281. [Excavation for the DoE was directed by Mr C Chaplin; summary report AR 1970, 19. For some graffiti see below p295.] Poundbury (SY685911) (a) on Site B a further 50 simple inhumations were excavated including one of a decapitated woman. Clearance of Mausoleum 8 and its collapsed wall-paintings was completed. A group of simple adult inhumations, one with a bone comb, lay beneath the floor. On the floor and sealed by the roof fall were pottery and three coins of the late fourth century, including one of Magentious with a large chi-rho on the reverse which had been perforated for use as an amulet. (b) On site C, 100m to the east, the cemetery showed a similar character and density. Twenty graves were examined, of which one produced two mid fourth-century coins from the filling. Beneath the graves appeared three third-century buildings with traces of iron-working. p281 [Excavation for Dorchester Excavation Committee and the DoE was directed by Mr C J S Green, who sent the plan: information courtesy of Prof B W Cunliffe.]