EDO4151 - The Pound, Fordington, Dorchester; antiquarian observation 1788

“In the year 1788, in taking down some cottages a little west of the pound in this parish, and removing some earth, several skeletons were discovered, some large, some small, as if of men, women, and children. One in particular was found in a sitting posture, another as if thrown in neck and heels tied together, also a sword, and one or two different weapons beside, but all now lost.”(1) From the description in Hutchins, several of the burials appear to be crouched or contracted. This, together with the possible accompanying sword and other weapons, could suggest that these are Iron Age burials, perhaps associated with the horse burial under St George’s Church, Fordington discovered in 1840. The precise location is not known, but an examination of the 1779 Simpson map of the Manor of Fordington (2) appears to show some cottages just west of the Pound, which are no longer extant on the 1841 Fordington Tithe map (3). It is possible that these mark the location.