Monument record MDO6548 - Romano-British occupation, Broadcroft Quarries, Easton, Portland

Limited excavations in 1950-51 found occupation deposits at the eastern edge of the quarries. These included samian sherds, Romano-British coarseware, a spindle whorl, a rotary quern-stone, two pebble hammer stones, sling-stones shells and a Roman coin amongst other occupation finds.

The destruction of strip fields by the south eastward extension of Broadcroft stone quarries led to the discovery of an area of R.B. occupation by R.G. Genvey, of Weymouth Grammar School, in September. Clearance of topsoil by mechanical grab had reached a point slightly more than half way down the field 183 (OS 25 inch) [A] SY 69877193 when the lower half of a rotary quern of pre-Roman Wessex type about 13 inches diameter. and a beach pebble of grey stone showing signs of use as a muller were seen in section about 1ft below the surface. A subsequent trial excavation by the finder, limited to clearance of a small area eastwards from the quarry face revealed a considerable quantity of R.B. occupation debris including animal bones, various shells, iron nails, about 50 beach pebbles of (AD 268-270) and considerable quantities of RB pottery, mostly slingstone size, a barbarous radiate coin of Victorinus coarse black and reddish brown ware. The datable fragments were of late date including red slip-coated imitation Samian and metallic lustred ware of New Forest type. Earlier in the year the discovery of a Sestertius of Trajan (AD 97-117) and some pottery was reported by Mr. E. Collins, assistant Education Officer for Dorset, during clearance by bulldozer at a point [B] SY 69797198 about 110yds W.N.W. of this site. <1>

The quern is dateable to the late 1stc. BC or early 1stc. AD. <1>

A-SY69857193. Corrected map reference. <2>

From BROADCROFT QUARRY, PORTLAND. Specimen of quernstone of pre-Roman 'Wessex' type; from the RB site, 1950; and a specimen of an object of unknown use from the site, 1951. Accession No. 1953.4.1. <3>

Further inf. <4>

The area is quarried out and there were no traces of antiquity or surface finds. No reliable authority could be found to point out the site accurately. <6>

<1> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1951, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1950, 87-88 (Serial). SDO50.

<2> Farrar, R A H, 1952, Archaeological Fieldwork in Dorset in 1951 (Article in serial). SWX2107.

<2> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1952, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1951, 93-94 (Serial). SDO51.

<3> Dorset County Museum, Dorset County Museum Accessions Book (Unpublished document). SWX1315.

<4> Rec. 6 inch (D Ball 29/1/53) (Map). SWX2009.

<5> Rigg, J, Field Investigators Comments JR, F1 JR 08-JUN-55 (Unpublished document). SWX1255.

<6> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 3, 607 (Monograph). SDO150.

<7> Keyte, J W, 2000, Easton Fire Station, Portland. Report on a desk-based appraisal and archaeological evaluation (Unpublished document). SWX8573.

<8> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, Externally held archive: RCH01/093 RCHME Inventory: Dorset II (South-East) (Unpublished document). SDO17434.

<9> National Record of the Historic Environment, 451700 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Jun 8 2023 2:55PM