Monument record MDO18567 - Poundbury Pipeline, Dorchester; Roman burial C

A Roman burial in a stone coffin with a lead lining was one of a number of Roman burials found during the digging of a water pipeline to the east of Poundbury Camp and recorded by Wessex Archaeology. The greensand stone coffin was laid in a chalk-cut grave aligned E-W. The burial within the lead coffin was of an adult, possibly female. The body appeared to have been wrapped in a linen shroud and packed with gypsum. This burial was part of the main Late Roman cemetery at Poundbury.

A Roman burial in a stone coffin with a lead lining was one of a number of Roman burials found during the digging of a water pipeline to the east of Poundbury Camp and recorded by Wessex Archaeology (1) (2) (3) (4). The greensand stone coffin was laid in a chalk-cut grave aligned E-W. There was some suggestion that it had been put in the grave as a solid block and trimmed off inside the grave. The coffin lid was made from two pieces of greensand joined centrally with a table joint. The inner lead coffin was formed by bending a lead sheet to form a box. The burial within the lead coffin was of an adult, possibly female. The body appeared to have been wrapped in a linen shroud and packed with gypsum.

This burial was part of the main Late Roman cemetery at Poundbury (5).

<1> Davies, S M and Grieve, D, 1986, 'The Poundbury pipe-line: Archaeological Observations and Excavations', Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 81-88 (Article in serial). SDO9537.

<2> Grieve, D and Davies, S M, 1986, The Poundbury Pipe-Line: Archaeological Observations and Excavations 1986 (Unpublished document). SDO157.

<3> Grieve, D, and Davies, S M, 1986, The Poundbury Pipeline. Archaeological Observations and Excavations, 1986 (Excavation archive). SDO10064.

<4> Frere, S S, 1987, 'Roman Britain in 1986: 1. Sites explored', Britannia, 345 (Article in serial). SDO9988.

<5> Farwell, D E and Molleson, T I, 1993, Excavations at Poundbury, Dorchester, Dorset 1966-1980. Volume II: The Cemeteries, 15 (Monograph). SDO9538.

Record last edited

Jan 11 2007 6:08AM