Carry on camping
Chris Tripp tells of an excavation that revealed information about the Roman heritage of Nether Compton
Published in December ’20
Excavating the Roman ditch defence
NETHER Compton is a beautiful honey-coloured village a short drive east of Sherborne. Elizabeth, who lived in a 15th-century cottage in the village,
made contact through a mutual friend and she asked me to go and talk to
her about some fields near her home, where some geophysical surveying had found interesting features. Elizabeth also told me that in 1989, a local metal-detecting club had found a hoard of around 22,500 Roman coins of the 4th century CE.
A few years before, I had moved to Dorset from London,where I had taken a degree at the Institute of Archaeology, then worked for the Museum of London Archaeology Service. I had helped set up the Dorset Diggers Community Archaeology Group (DDCAG), and Elizabeth wanted to know if this newly founded band of diggers would undertake a small excavation…
To read the rest of this article and to enjoy the whole of the December 2020 issue for only £2.49,
