EDO4149 - Greenhill House, Fordington Green, Dorchester; casual observation 1810

“The site of this discovery was in a garden in the village of Fordington, about fifty yards east from the corner of the walk called the Walls, on the east side of Dorchester (the Roman Durnovaria). From this garden, William Bower, Esq. (the possessor) had occasion, in the summer of 1810, to remove a large quantity of earth, for the purpose of erecting some extensive buildings. The space opened was about ninety-two feet in length from the north-west to south-east, and forty-three feet wide; the greatest depth dug out was about thirteen feet; but the land lying on a gradual ascent towards the north-west, this depth was not uniform through the whole extent. In this excavation was observed, first a light black earth for about two feet, next a brown marle with chalk of one foot, then entirely chalk. On throwing out the chalk , human skeletons were found in great numbers, certainly not less than a hundred, together with numerous urns of various forms and sizes; many fragments of urns and of paterae, were also discovered. Some of the urns were ornamented with indentations, like network; others with diagonal lines; some were surrounded with a wave-like ornament; others had clusters of lines, and those crossed again at intervals with similar lines. Some were of red earth, some of reddish-brown earth, and others of black earth. The bodies were found lying in different directions, at various depths…" (1) The bones were collected and buried in a cask in the garden of Greenhill House. (1) Bartelot identifies this site as the site of a new brewhouse and cellar, now the Old Court House cellar adjoining Greenhill House. (2) The burials are Roman, several may have had hobnails, one was accompanied by a coin of Hadrian (AD117-138) and one 1st century AD pottery vessel survives in the Dorset County Museum. (3) (4)