EDO4470 - Wareham House (Trumpet Major), Alington Avenue, Dorchester

Following the erection of a new wall for a cucumber frame at Wareham House, the gardeners began to clear away the soil within them (an area of 40ft x 10ft) on 14/10/1892. They noticed a coffin shaped patch of dark earth cut into the chalk within which they discovered a skeleton. On further clearance several other skeletons were discovered, four in excellent condition. The graves were cut to a depth of 2ft into the chalk and all faced the NE, seemingly dug to a systematic plan. Two skeletons lay on their side and the others were supine with arms extended, although onw had the left arm bent over the body.. One grave contained a knife. Further burials were discovered later during the planting of apple trees, one of which contained green, yellow and blue coloured beads, two rings and fragments of a comb. In November of 1892 a hole was discovered filled with red earth and containing a stag's horn [1]. The finds and site were re-interpreted by Christopher Sparey-Green, at a much later date, as coming from an Anglo-Saxon cemetery [2]. One report mentions a hollow way or ditch running through the garden, at an angle to Alington Avenue [3].