XXIX. 



Mecihurst, an arch.-eologist of much experience in excavations in the 

 county of Suffolk before settling in Weymouth. He, in 1832, during a 

 particularly dry summer, observed traces which led him to explore 

 Jordan Hill, which resulted in the discovery of a Roman temple, and what 

 was probably a sanatorium with a cemetery attached. This was 

 eventually described by Dr. Buckland in a paper before the Ashmolean 

 Society at Oxford in 1843. The finding of this particular pavement was 

 due to accident. In 1852 Mr. Scutt, the tenant of the farm, in making a 

 straighter course for the stream found traces of ancient occupation. The 

 work of uncovering the pavement, however, was not completed until 

 shortly before the meeting of the British Archaeological Association in 

 1871. It was then visited by the Association and described by the Rev. 

 Prebendary Baker. The remains were found 3 and 4 feet below the 

 surface, and were of the following dimensions : The long wall of the 

 building was traced to the length of 65ft. 8in. ; the court containing the 

 pavement was 21 feet square, the pavement itself being about 15 feet 

 square. The centre is occupied with a circular ornament with angular 

 enrichments, set in a square with white and black framings. Outside of 

 this is a broad cable-pattern border, then other embellishments, and, 

 finally, outside of all, a repetition on a larger scale of the cable-pattern. 

 Other smaller chambers were discovered paved with larger tessene. The 

 tessene vary in size from 1 inch square to f inch square. They are of 

 three colours, red, brown, and white. The red are fragments of baked 

 tile. There are abundant indications that the building was destroyed by 

 tire. Little else of importance had been discovered in the neighbourhood. 

 A tradition is current in the neighbourhood that the Romans, on finally 

 quitting Britain, embarked from the shores of Weymouth Bay, and that 

 they brought down with them to the coast a vast amount of treasure, a 

 Jarge part of which they were obliged to bury as they were unable to 

 carry it with them, and this still remains to be discovered. 



A discussion ensued. Mr. Groves stated that the roof covering the 

 pavement had been generously provided by Sir Talbot Baker. Lord 

 Eustace Cecil thought the pavement might be older than the time of 

 Constantine. Mr. Moule considered there was nothing to fix the date of 

 the pavement. Mr. Chisholm Batten thought it seemed to belong to 

 Christian times, since there was no trace of heathen mythology the only 

 example he had seen without. The Rev. Osmond Fisher examined the 

 White and Brown Tessera and considered they belonged to leds of 

 Purbeck limestone and Kimmeridge shale respectively. Owing to the 

 in.sumcient protection of the pavement it was resolved to place a wire 

 railing round the pavement to prevent the public from carrying away the 



