Monument record MDO18744 - Olds Garage, 55 Bridport Road, Dorchester; Roman Grave 206

Context One Archaeological Services carried out an archaeological evaluation on the site of the former Olds Garage, 55 Bridport Road, Dorchester over three days between the 11th and 13th July 2006. The work was carried out to assist the determination of a planning proposal to redevelop the site.Three trenches were excavated. A total of five inhumations were exposed in the northernmost trench, although no cultural evidence was found in association with them, it can be inferred that they relate to the Roman period. Where the orientation of the burials was discernable they were found to be E-W aligned, supine and extended. This evidence is consistent with a late Roman christian cemetery and they may form part of a known cemetery adjacent to Hawthorne Road c.50m to the east.

A number of Roman graves were discovered during the archaeological evaluation of the site of the former Olds Garage, 55 Bridport Road, Dorchester by Context One Archaeological Services in 2006. Grave 206 was a probably rectangular grave, aligned E-W, of which only part of the western end was within the excavated area. It was over 0.8m long, 0.47m wide and 0.28m deep. This grave was not fully excavated and only the skull and right humerus of the burial were exposed, but this was sufficient to suggest that it was an extended supine inhumation burial, oriented E-W, with the head to the west. No dating evidence was recovered, but this is likely to have been a Late Roman inhumation grave, possibly Christian.

Record last edited

Aug 3 2010 5:35PM