SDO9777 - 'Another find of Roman Pavement' Dorset County Chronicle

"Modern Dorchester seems to be literally superimposed upon Roman Durnovaria with the intervention of but a few feet of earth or other debris. Of late years we have repeatedly recorded the discoveries of portions of tesselated pavement, coins, skeletons, and other relics in different parts of the town, and one would suppose that, large as have been the discovers made, even larger quantities of such remains still lie buried in the black soil, treasure trove for the satisfaction of antiquarian posterity. On Friday a new discovery of Roman tesselation was made on the site of the new schoolroom which the Primitive Methodists are about to build on the north side of their chapel at the bottom of Durngate-street. The labourers in the employ of Messrs. Trask and Son, of Norton-sub-Hamdon, the builders who have beengiven the contract, were engaged in clearing the ground and digging the holes for the foundations when pickaxe and shovel struck and penetrated some hard crust that at first puzzled the men. On examination it was found to be a piece of tesselated pavement. In an adjoining hole the continuation of the pavement was found. Under the superintendance of the architect, Mr. Jem Feacey, it was carefully cleaned, and when the pavement had been washed with water an interesting pattern revealed itself. A representative of the Dorset County Chronicle, on hearing of the discovery, went and inspected as much of the pavement as had been unearthed. The tesserae he found to be about five eighths of an inch cube, in three colours, black, white, and red. An intrecci border was to be seen, and parallel with it two stripes of white tesserae on a black ground. The fragment is well worth preservation."