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DUBIA

Items that are most likely not of Purbeck origin at all, or not Roman, but should be checked.

© Copyright John Palmer. This is work in progress, last updated 2007-03-22. Please use this link to send me comments and suggestions.

Note that tesselated paving Dubia are now listed in the Paving section, marked `cat DOUBTFUL'

•  
  • name Southover submerged pavement
  • cat DOUBTFUL
  • site Southover near Frampton, in river bed, c.2002
  • grid SY 618 951 approx
  • source Stephen Jackman in Dorset Geol. Assn. Newsletter August 2004
  • publ History of Frampton village 2nd ed., p.21
  • desc Newsletter: paved path some 2 metres wide and edged with wooden poles running along the riverbed; of Purbeck stone and could be Roman. About 15m of paving is exposed. At end is a section of bank which shows possible cropmarks of a building or excavation
  • desc Frampton History: exposed on reconstruction of footbridges on the footpath between Southover and Crockway. On bed of one of the leats. Runs along the stream, not across; inferred that it is older than the present course of the water. Perhaps associated with Frampton Priory.
  • subst said to be PL
  • date medieval probably
  • comment close to Frampton mosaic site
  • cont Doreen Smith
•  
  • name Knitson Farm "anchor stone"
  • site Found built into the wall of a barn at the farm, barn built c.1800
  • grid SZ 005 807
  • source Mark Helfer, pers. comm. 2004-06-28
  • desc Block of limestone, approx. hexagon about 35cm diam. and 15cm thick. Central hole, which has irregular extension on one side. Black stain the other side. Might have been used some time for anchoring a boat. Photos (by JP): Flat side, Recessed side.
  • loc Knitson Farm, Langton Matravers, loose on patio
  • subst Limestone, probably PL
  • date if this is an upper quern, then thickness suggests pre-Roman Iron Age
  • interp Rodney Alcock suggested upper rotary quernstone, the irregular extension to the hole being the socket for a side-mounted handle.
  • comment See Chapmans Pool anchor and Lulworth anchor
  • cont Mark Helfer
•  
  • name Shapwick PL fragments
  • site Shapwick, Dorset, 1993
  • grid ST 9370 0170
  • source Papworth M 1993 p.150
  • desc Trench B ... a fragmentary layer of dark brown loamy clay with frags of brick and clay tile and Purbeck Limestone ...
  • loc Kingston Lacy
  • subst PL
  • date almost certainly mediaeval
•  
  • name Halstock mortars (three)
  • site Halstock villa, NW Dorset, 1967-1985
  • grid ST 53 07
  • publ Lucas RN 1993 p.95
  • desc see entries 1 2 3 in Doubtful section
  • loc prob. DCM
  • subst probably Portland Stone (PS)
  • comment Listed by Cool 2005 p.55 as "Purbeck", though Beavis' in Lucas p.95 says "probably Portland"
•  
  • name Moreton PM mortar
  • site Moreton post office garden
  • grid SY 8046 8942
  • source David Ashford, DCM, 2002-11-28
  • desc Mortar fragment, apparently of PM, left at DCM by finder for identification; circular base only (no lugs or rim), about 190mm diam., double quarter-round turn from base to sidewalls, interior diam. about 130mm (i.e. walls about 30mm thick at base!)
  • loc DCM entry no E4979; returned to A Surrey, finder
  • subst JP: apparently PM
  • date unstratified; may be mediaeval or modern, since not unlike the mortars from Corfe Castle described by Bowd 1999
  • cont Alan Surrey
•  
  • name Southampton Mortar
  • site Southampton, from River Itchen near St Denys Priory
  • source Beavis
  • desc Beavis: mortarium similar to DCM 1886-9-189, but worn to a round hole in the base. Not examined closely but appeared to be PM. A letter to the Curator asking if any Roman PM were recorded at Southampton brought a negative reply.
  • desc K Wardley, 2001-03-21: no longer on display, temporarily lost in the collection. Accession book records that it was found in the Itchen near St Denys Priory
  • loc God's House Museum, seen c.1969, not found 2001, ref.A41.64
  • date likely to be mediaeval
  • cont Mrs Blott, historic sites officer, and Karen Wardley, curator of archaeological collections, Soton City Museums
•  
  • name Southampton Museum pestle
  • cat DOUBTFUL
  • site Unknown
  • source Southampton Museum of Archaeology database 2003-01-20
  • desc Marble finger pestle. Feathered decoration for the knuckles. 21 by 15 by 58mm
  • loc Southampton Museum of Archaeology, A.2002.3
  • subst Marble (unspecified)
  • date Soton Mus: Roman; apparently on stylistic evidence only
•  
  • cat DUBIUM
  • site Folkestone, Kent
  • source Scott KE34
  • publ Winbolt, S. E. (1925) Roman Folkestone, p. 109
  • publ VCH Kent, 3 (1932), p. 93.
  • publ Clarke G 1982 p.211
  • desc Opus sectile in the form of fragments of marble slabs and triangular pieces
•  
  • cat DUBIUM
  • site Gayton Thorpe, Norfolk
  • source Scott NF62
  • publ Norfolk Archaeology, 23 (1928--9), p. 166--209.
  • publ East Anglian Archaeology, 5 (1977), p. 235--6.
  • publ Gregory T 1982 p.362,364
  • publ Miles D 1982, p. 362,364
  • desc `findings include... marble veneer'
•  
  • cat DUBIUM
  • site Weeting, Norfolk
  • source Scott NF193
  • publ Gregory T 1982 p.371
  • publ Miles D 1982 p.362,364
  • desc fragments of marble veneer
•  
  • cat DUBIUM
  • site Daventry, Northants
  • source Scott NH30
  • publ VCH Northants 1 (1902), p. 195
  • publ Botfield B 1853 p.391
  • desc fragments of marble
  • desc Botfield: `a piece of grey marble of the county'; no PL
•  
  • cat DUBIUM
  • site Ashtead, Surrey
  • grid TQ 17 60
  • source Scott, SY3.
  • source Rivet 1969, bibl. of villas
  • publ Clarke G 1982 p.211
  • publ - 1915, Surrey Arch Coll 28
  • publ - 1916, Surrey Arch Coll 29
  • publ - 1929, Surrey Arch Coll 37 144-163 missing from DCM 2001-03
  • publ - 1930, Surrey Arch Coll 38 1-17, 132-148 missing from DCM 2001-03
  • desc Scott's appendix on marble mentions marble here, but not her main list
  • loc Guildford Museum
•  
  • cat DUBIUM
  • site Bucknowle Farm villa
  • grid SY 954 418
  • source RB in 1990, Britannia 22 (1991) p.283
  • desc ...North of these a stone-lined drain...The principal part of this was lined with limestone slabs, but the eastern end was lined with chalk blocks laid in herringbone style
•  
  • cat DUBIUM
  • site Wonston, Hants, Worthy Down
  • grid SU 459 358
  • source RB in 1984, Britannia 16 (1985) p.324
  • desc Inscribed milestone of `Jurassic limestone' 0.23 x 0.31 x 0.39m high, found during excavations (King Alfred's College) overlying the fill of a late 4th cent. ditch. Stone was orig. rectangular and subsequently recut for use as a pillar base... The recutting has erased the upper line of the inscr which now reads ...]E AVG *|*RP*B*P `Pio] F]e(lice) AUG(usto), r(es)p(ublica) B(elgarum) p(osuit)'
  • cont Ms A. M. Robinson, A. M. French (KAC)
•  
  • cat DUBIUM
  • site Chichester, Central Girls' School, Chapel St
  • grid SU 861 048
  • source RB in 1975, Britannia 7 (1976)
  • publ Britannia 1 (1970) p.302
  • desc Part of a limestone inscr 0.18 x 0.1 x 0.06m cut down and reused upside-down as paving. Found unstratified 1969 in excav. S of Girls' School. ...]D?EF?G?[...|...]O?1?[...
•  
  • site Chichester
  • grid SU 86 04
  • source Pritchard FA 1986 p.185
  • desc Unpublished British stone; article doesn't say whether PM or PL or something else
  • loc Chichester District Museum, find E 153 232
•  
  • cat DUBIUM
  • site London, 7--11 Bishopsgate, EC3, about 1996
  • source RB in 1998, Britannia 30 (1999) p.378
  • desc Fragment of a marble slab inscription with good quality letters, probably a tombstone, 0.145 x 0.095 x 0.038m thick, found during excavation with misc. Roman material in an area disturbed by quarry pits: [...] vacat MAR[..]|[...] vacat ET[...]
  • cont Angela Wardle, MoLAS
•  
  • cat DUBIUM
  • site Thruxton, Hants
  • source Scott HA96
  • publ Crawford OGS 1923, ONB, 32
  • desc Alien stone
•  
  • name Winchester Kingsgate Mortar
  • site Winchester, 78-79 Kingsgate St (next to Kingsgate itself)
  • publ Collis J 1978 p.29
  • desc A mortar (fig.10 no.14) of Purbeck stone. 4 lugs, one with pouring groove. Diam about 22cm. Flat bottom (holed) about 2cm thick. Walls a little thicker.
  • date Excavator gives no date but all other finds from this site are mediaeval.
•  
  • site Winchester
  • publ Cunliffe BW 1964 p.92
  • desc Roman baluster of unspecified stone, comparable to those from Colliton Park, PDNHAS 59 pl.7
•  
  • site Goathill, Dorset
  • grid ST 6704 1783
  • source Williams JH 1971 b
  • publ 1958, PDNHAS 80 96
  • desc local stone roofing slates (but `local' is Inferior Oolite)
  • desc Williams: `other or uncertain roofing'
•  
  • name Fordingbridge Celtic Head
  • site `near Fordingbridge', `circa 1900'
  • source seen at Rockbourne villa site
  • desc Stone head in Celtic tradition: about 60cm high
  • loc Rockbourne villa, displayed on site, loaned by Mrs Lawton Clark
  • subst limestone, yellowish, oolitic or possibly Purbeck
  • comment probably not Roman: to be looked up in CSIR
  • cont Jim Hunter, curator, Red House Museum, Christchurch
•  
  • name Charles Street possible Roman fragments
  • site Charles Street, Dorchester (Acland St carpark) 1989-90
  • grid SY 6935 9045
  • source K Knowles pers.comm.
  • publ Adam J 1990
  • publ Davies SM, Farwell D 1989
  • desc Probable residual Roman items
    (Strat-unit, context, count, description; ordered geologically)
    ``
    76/01/02 2110 1 Broken Shell Limestone c25x160x120mm 656g [mediaeval context]
    76/01/02 2237 1 Broken Shell Limestone c9x40x35mm 19g [mediaeval context]
    86/02/01 2043 5 Broken Shell Limestone c40x35x10mm 75g [post-mediaev context]
    unstrat 2382 1 Broken Shell Bed c30x20x7mms 6g
    86/02/01 2043 1 Upper Building Stone c85x50x25mm 236g [post-mediaeval context]
    76/01/01 2029 1 Lower Building Stone c75x70x10mm 90g [mediaeval context]
    76/01/01 2061 1 Lower Building Stone c75x45x40mm 134g [mediaeval context]
    unstrat 2146 1 Lower Building Stone c45x40x20mm 42g
    ''
  • loc DCM, 1996.31 : archive boxes 501--611 and 615, finds bays 145--149
  • subst KK: see Description above; only items that are petrologically from Purbeck included
  • date Mediaeval or later contexts, may be residual Roman
  • comment These items are not specifically mentioned in the articles cited above, but appear in a petrological report (1991) by K Knowles on items from this dig
  • comment see also roofing and PM fragments, and other fragments (early Roman) and (late Roman), from the same excavation
  • cont Kathryn Knowles, U. Southampton
•  
  • site Lippen Wood, West Meon, Hants, 1904-5
  • source Williams 1971 app.IIa
  • publ Moray Williams A 1906, Proc. Hants FC, 5 271-276
  • desc Villa with tile pilae, composite hypocaust (with both pilae and channelling), chalk building material, no mention of Purbeck limestone
•  
  • cat DUBIUM
  • site Winchester
  • source reported to Williams by Martin Biddle
  • desc ``shelly limestone column base''
•  
  • name Hackleton roofing
  • site Hackleton, Northants (Piddington)
  • grid SP 7965 5400
  • source Scott NH54 (mentioned only in the Appendix on marble)
  • publ - VCH Northants 1 (1902) p. 198 (agrees with citation in RB in 1980)
  • publ - Northants Arch. 14 (1979) p. 106
  • publ - BNFAS 8 (1973) p. 14-15
  • publ - RCHM Northants, 2 (1979) site 11
  • publ Grew FO 1981 p.342
  • publ 1982, Current Archaeology 82 p.384 wrong reference
  • desc marble tesserae
  • desc RB in 1980: Roofs of tile and stone slates; Purbeck not mentioned
  • comment see also Scott SY3, Ashtead, Surrey and tesserae from Hackleton
  • cont Friendship-Taylor RM and DE, Woodfield C and P, excavators
•  
  • name Ulwell cemetery
  • cat DOUBTFUL
  • site Shepherd's Farm, near Ulwell, 1949-1982
  • grid SZ 0226 8092
  • source Dorset SMR
  • publ Farrar 1966 p.120-121
  • publ RCHM Dorset SE pt.3 p.611
  • publ Cox PW 1988
  • publ Calkin 1968 p.29
  • desc Inhumation burials, thought originally to be Roman, but Cox's excavation showed 55 graves at least; majority simple earth graves, but some in stone cists or kerbs; several secondary burials; only one burial with grave-goods; radiocarbon evidence for use throughout 7th cent. AD. Site now mostly destroyed.
  • loc ? Material transferred from Christchurch Mus. to DCM, acc.2001.110
  • date post-Roman
  • comment Calkin refers to a Roman roofing tile being used (which of course does not show that the graves themselves were Roman). Not stated whether the tile was stone or ceramic.
•  
  • name Lincoln PM of uncertain date
  • cat DOUBTFUL
  • site Lincoln
  • grid SK 977 719
  • source Peacock and Williams 1995 p. 356
  • desc One piece of PM probably from a post-Roman level, but possibly of Roman date, pers. comm. to authors from Jenny Mann, City of Lincoln Archaeology Unit
  • subst PM
  • date uncertain
  • comment see inscription from St Paul in the Bail, Lincoln for real Roman PM in Lincoln
•  
  • name Colchester counter
  • cat DOUBTFUL
  • site Colchester, Balkerne Lane, 1973-6
  • grid TL 99 25
  • source Crummy NC 1983 p.96, fig.101, no.2497
  • desc Unstratified. ?Purbeck stone. A counter with an edge ground smooth but still irregularly shaped. Diam. 48.5mm, thickness 16.0mm
  • subst Crummy: ?PL
  • date unstratified
•  
  • name Dorchester Museum unexamined stone flags
  • cat DOUBTFUL
  • site unknown, presumably Dorset
  • source pers. obs. in DCM reserve collection 2003-04-22
  • desc Box of stone flags, not yet seen
  • loc DCM reserve coll, bay 157 shelf F
  • subst unknown
  • date unknown
•  
  • name Dorchester Museum unexamined quern fragments
  • cat DOUBTFUL
  • site DCM code W310, presumably in Dorset
  • source pers. obs. in DCM reserve collection 2003-04-22
  • desc 4 quern fragments
  • loc DCM reserve coll, bay 158 shelf B, site W310, find no. 3250
  • subst unknown
  • date unknown

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