Monument record MDO19094 - Dorchester Prison Burial Ground, Roman building

The remains of part of a probable Roman town house of 4th century AD date were found during excavations by the prison governor J V D Lawrance in 1858. The plan suggests at least two phases. The earlier phase comprises three rooms, which probably formed the northern end of a range of rooms running NE-SW. Two square rooms were found at the NE end, one of which appeared to have been altered to form an apse, with a larger rectangular room to the south. All three rooms had evidence for tessellated floors, of which only one was substantially complete and had a central motif of two heart-shaped leaves. Fragments of painted wall plaster and stone roof tiles were found associated with these rooms. The later structure comprised a roughly square area, largely open to the northeast, perhaps a yard rather than a roofed structure. It had a central stone-lined square pit. Another square stone-lined pit was found to the north, which had destroyed the NE corner of the earlier building. To the north of the yard was another wall running NW-SE, which overlay a square chalk-cut pit which contained 4th century AD pottery. It is unclear what the date of this later structure is, indeed it may not be Roman at all.

Parts of a Roman tessellated floor were found during the digging of graves in the Dorchester Prison Burial Ground in 1856 and 1858. The area was cleared by the Prison Governor J V D Lawrance in 1858 to expose more of the mosaic and eventually substantial parts of a Roman building with traces of tessellated floors were found. <1-8> Parts of four rooms were exposed, which probably formed the north end of a range of rooms running NE-SW <11>. The wall plan suggests at least two phases of structure. The earlier structure lay to the northwest and comprised parts of three rooms, all which had evidence for tessellated floors. The walls were In the NW corner was a square room, which contained the mosaic originally found in the graves of Martha Brown and James Seal. This had a central motif of two heart-shaped leaves set within a pair of intersecting linear squares within a central square panel surrounded by multiple concentric borders <12>. This mosaic was set on a 0.6m thick foundation of alternate layers of flints and mortar. A coin of Constantine I (AD306-337) was found on the floor and a number of stone roof tiles were recovered from the deposits above the floor. This square room lead into a room of similar size to the SE through a central doorway with a step. The plan of this room suggests that the northern side was altered to form an apse <11>. The fragmentary remains of a tessellated floor were found, but not enough to be certain of the decorative scheme, but included some curving bands of guilloche <12>. Fragments of wall plaster painted red with a black border and white with a red and black border were found in this room. The eastern side was destroyed by the later structure. To the southwest was a larger rectangular room, the southern end of which was not exposed. It also had a largely destroyed tessellated floor of uncertain design, but including a curving band of guilloche <12>. These remains appear to be part of a Roman town house of probable 4th century AD date. The later structure comprised a roughly square area, largely open to the northeast, perhaps a yard, with a central stone-lined square pit, 1.5m deep, which produced some domestic refuse including Roman pottery, charcoal and animal bone. Another square stone lined pit, 2.75m deep, was found to the north and which destroyed the NE corner of the earlier building. This pit produced some Roman pottery, animal bone and charcoal. Some fragments of wall plaster painted pale green with a maroon border were found in the yard area. To the north of the yard was another wall running NW-SE, which overlay a square chalk-cut pit which contained 4th century AD pottery (8). It is unclear what the date of this later structure is, indeed it may not be Roman at all. Two blocks of carved stone were found in this area, which were said to be of Norman design <3>. It is possible that some of this later structure may be medieval in date. The almost complete mosaic and fragments of the other two were lifted and initially relaid in the Prison Chapel<3> <13>. When the prison was rebuilt in 1885-6, the mosaics became damaged and were moved to the Dorset County Museum, where the almost complete mosaic was relaid again <12>. SY69239085. A range of four rooms with mosaic pavements were excavated in 1858 by J V D Lawrence, Prison Governor following the discovery of parts of mosaics in graves in 1856 and 1858. Parts of other mosaics had previously been noted in the area. The mosaic from the western room is now in the Dorset County Museum, while its border remains in situ, its position being marked by an inscribed stone. The mosaic from the eastern room is lost. Painted wall plaster, hexagonal stone roof slabs, a coin of Constantine I (306-37) and C4th pottery of New Forest type were among the finds. SY69259083. Remains of a mosaic were found in 1854 in building the former lodge and prison workshops west of the entrance from North Square. A length of the border is in the County Museum. SY69289088. An inferior tessellated floor was found in 1856 in building the north block of the warden's houses on Friary Hill. Roman remains revealed by trial excavation in 1970 included a mid C1st pit and a timber building of the C3rd, succeeded by a masonry building of the mid C4th. A length of simple blue and white geometric mosaic was found circa 1809 when digging the foundations for a garden wall belonging to the gaol. It has been suggested that it was part of the Glyde Path Road building (SY69SE278), but it is more likely to be part of the building excavated by Prison Governor Lawrence. <14> citing <11> <2> <3> <4>

Record last edited

May 24 2023 9:44AM