EDO4780 - Possible site of Roman and Medieval Gate, Prince's Street, Dorchester; field observation 1954

A site visit was conducted by J. Rigg of the Ordnance Survey Archaeological Division on the 20 August 1954 at the possible site of the Roman and Medieval West Gate at the top of Prince's Street, Dorchester. His site notes are recorded in the OS record card as follows. The town wall is shown on Speed's map of 1610 as unbroken on the west side except for breaks at end of High West Street (the Roman or Mediaeval West Gate), and a second at Prince's Street. Two gates on the west side are also documented in 1610. The area is covered by a modern road and flanked by modern buildings. No main road issues from Prince's Street, which at its junction with the Roman wall is approximately 80m from the generally accepted west Gate. The two sites appear too close for both to have been either the sites of Roman or Mediaeval gates and it seems most likely that the Prince's Street gate was no more that a temporary Civil War (sic) gate or barricade (1). [It is now thought that the Prince's Street Gate is the more likely Roman and Medieval West Gate].