Monument record MDO18492 - Dingles Store, Princes Street, Dorchester; Later Roman building

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Summary

The badly truncated remains of a Roman building was found in the SW corner of the trench excavated by Wessex Archaeology in 1989, in advance of proposed redevelopment behind the former Dingles Store (now Princes House), Dorchester. The building remains comprised an L-shaped robbing trench, containing a large quantity of Roman building debris. No floor surfaces survived which could be related to this later Roman building. No dating evidence survived for this building, which was probably 3rd-4th century in date. No evidence was recovered for the size, layout and function of this building, which appears to have been oriented roughly NNW-SSE. The walls had been heavily robbed in the late 14th or 15th century, based on the date of the pottery recovered from the robbing trench.

Map

Type and Period (2)

Full Description

The badly truncated remains of a Roman building was found in the SW corner of the trench excavated by Wessex Archaeology in 1989, in advance of proposed redevelopment behind the former Dingles Store (now Princes House), Dorchester. The building remains comprised an L-shaped robbing trench, vertically-sided and 0.75m deep. These robber trenches contained no traces of the original walls, but did contain a large quantity of broken Roman building materials, predominantly tile and mortar fragments. This wall was later in date than the mortar and chalk floors found in this area, which pobably belong to an earlier Roman building. No floor surfaces survived which could be related to this later Roman building. No dating evidence survived for this building, which was probably 3rd-4th century in date. No evidence was recovered for the size, layout and function of this building, which appears to have been oriented roughly NNW-SSE. The walls had been heavily robbed in the late 14th or 15th century, based on the date of the pottery recovered from the robbing trench.

Sources/Archives (6)

  • --- Article in serial: Frere, S S. 1990. 'Roman Britain in 1989: 1. Sites explored' Britannia. 21. 352.
  • --- Excavation archive: Wessex Archaeology. 1989. Dingles Store, Princes Street, Dorchester.
  • --- Article in serial: Frere, S S. 1989. 'Roman Britain in 1988: 1. Sites explored' Britannia. 20. 352.
  • --- Digital archive: National Record of the Historic Environment. 1148557.
  • --- Unpublished document: Heaton M J, Pearce P and Davies S M. 1990. Archaeological Excavations at the Rear of Dingles Store, Princes Street, Dorchester.
  • --- Article in serial: Davies, S M. 1989. Dingles Store. Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society. 111. 110.

Finds (0)

Related Monuments/Buildings (0)

Related Events/Activities (1)

Location

Grid reference Centred SY 69136 90667 (4m by 4m)
Map sheet SY69SE
Civil Parish Dorchester; Dorset
Unitary Authority Dorset

Protected Status/Designation

  • None recorded

Other Statuses/References

  • Legacy UID: Dorset Sites and Monuments Record: 1 041 538
  • Legacy UID: National Monuments Record: SY 69 SE 251
  • Legacy UID: National Record of the Historic Environment: 1148557

Record last edited

Nov 2 2023 1:09PM

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