A synthesis of antiquarian observation and archaeological excavation at Dorchester-on-Thames, Oxfordshire

Dorchester has seen considerable interest over the years due to its consistent occupation stretching back to the Neolithic. This study reassesses the evidence for its settlement history, combining the major excavations of Frere with more recent smaller scale archaeological work, and (where this monograph differs from a more standard approach) the pre-archaeological observations of antiquarians. Morrison proposes an alternative interpretation of the data, rejecting the idea of a Dorchester which remained substantially "Roman" and urbanised into the sixth century, but that its continuing importance (and the reason it was chosen by Birinus as the site for his bishopric) owed more to a ritual memory as a place of religious significance in the landscape stretching back to pre-Roman times.