EDO4422 - Roman Town Wall, Albert Road, Dorchester; excavation 1951

Please read our .

Location

Grid reference SY 68943 90633 (point)
Map sheet SY69SE
Civil Parish Dorchester; Dorset
Unitary Authority Dorset

Technique(s)

Organisation

Royal Commission on Historical Monuments

Date

autumn 1951

Description

The Royal Commission on Historical Monuments excavated the remains of the Roman west wall in Albert Road in Autumn 1951. The wall footings were found to rest on the lower part of the front of the earthwork bank which antedated the wall and which had been cut back to provide a platform for the wall. The inner lip of what was probably the defensive ditch outside the bank was also found. the wall footings were 9 ft wide and consisted of coursed flints set in sandy puddled chalk. Above this the wall core survived to a maximum height of 10ft. No evidence for ashlar facing stones were found [1]. The rubble masonry was raked out and repointed with a mortar of light brown colour in 1953-4 [2].

Sources/Archives (5)

  • <1> Article in serial: Farrar, R A H. 1951. The Roman Town Wall, Albert Road, Dorchester. Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society. 73.
  • <2> Article in serial: Farrar, R A H. 1953. The Roman Wall of Dorchester; An Excavation in Albert Road in 1951. Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society. 75. 72-83.
  • <3> Article in serial: Farrar, R A H. 1954. Archaeological Fieldwork in Dorset in 1953 & 1954. Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society. 76. 74-5.
  • <3> Monograph: Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England). 1970. An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 3. 543-4, no. 173a.
  • <5> Digital archive: Historic England. NRHE Excavation Index. 650914.

Map

Record last edited

Apr 17 2024 11:49AM

Comments and Feedback

Do you have any questions or more information about this record? Please feel free to comment below with your name and email address. All comments are submitted to the website maintainers for moderation, and we aim to respond/publish as soon as possible. Comments, questions and answers that may be helpful to other users will be retained and displayed along with the name you supply. The email address you supply will never be displayed or shared.