Monument record MDO4358 - Iron Age/Romano-British settlement at Coldstream Dairy, Milborne St Andrew

The building of Bladen Dairy in 1929 revealed Iron Age and Romano-British occupation debris, including pottery and animal bones, and inhumation burials. An archaeological evaluation in 1996 revealed a sequence of linear features aligned east-west and other features at about 1.50m below the current ground surface. Health and safety considerations prevented further investigation, but it was possible to recover sufficient material from the upper fillings of these features to show them to be of probable Iron Age/Romano-British date. In 2018 an archaeological evaluation of a proposed development site to the west revealed further evidence of late Iron Age/Romano-British activity in the form of a group of postholes, gullies and a pit, though dating evidence was limited.

SY 807978 (4), Iron Age and Romano British occupation debris and inhumation burials were found east of Milborne St Andrew in 1929 during the building of Bladen Dairy. Rescue work during construction on the site revealed 87 irregularly placed pits, several with traces of hearths. Many human bones were found on the eastern extremity of the area and two small graves and one larger grave which contained 5 or 6 skeletons "carelessly buried" were noted. Long deep trenches about 8ft deep and 14ft wide at the top apparently of later date than the pits, were seen and some flint masonry "of Romano British date" was also exposed. Pottery suggested continuous occupation of the site from the late 1st century BC until the 4th century AD and included La Tene III, Samian and New Forest Ware. A Roman coin of 365 AD and a Bronze Age sherd were also found. Site listed by Whimster (5) under ditch-burials, although he says an Iron Age date cannot be established. They possibly belong to a Romano British occupation phase. (2-5)

Record last edited

Mar 3 2023 4:46PM