Numerous burials have been recovered from the grounds of the old Union Workhouse (later St Mary's Hospital). These appear to be part of a Roman inhumation cemetery located just west of the Balkerne gate and north of the main Colchester to London Road.

Rex Hull lists the following Grave Groups as from the Union: 266, 267,269,218,469,499,298,273,274,276,277, 278,279,284,286,288,201,216,180,201,216,168,180. Unfortunately no exact locations were recorded.<1>

Hull's 'Union Cemetery' yielded small groups of burial, nearly all of which were inhumations. The only cremations recorded from the area were themselves unusual since they were in lead urns (Hull's Graves 216, 266, 267). Philip Crummy's Area N.<2>

Hull records: 'On the north of the Roman road as it leaves the Balkerne Gate lie the large grounds of St Mary's Hospital. It will be seen that several fragmentary buildings are known here. The area is also the most productive, in every respect, of small objects. Up to nearly twenty years ago large pits were continually dug to dispose of rubbish and from this work a very large number of coins and other small finds were recovered for the Museum. Records of finds begin with Wire, whose notes are too numerous to recount. H. Laver also noted remains, especially interments in which the corpse was wrapped in a sheet of clay. Interments have frequently been found, sometimes in numbers, but burials by incineration also occur. In no case has any deliberate excavation been undertaken. The depth of made soil is apparently great, being reported as sometimes 12ft. The general impression is that much of the area was used as the general rubbish tip for the town'.<3>