Anglo-Saxon Settlement in the Darent Valley and its Environs

ANGLO-SAXON SETTLEMENT IN THE DARENT VALLEY AND ENVIRONS SUSAN TYLER, B.A. Excavated sites and casual finds point to the existence of a series of Anglo-Saxon settlements, dating from the mid-fifth to mid-seventh century, along the Darent river valley, in the Cray valley and surrounding coastlands. They form part of a larger pattern of Anglo-Saxon settlement within the valleys of the tributaries of the river Thames and on the Thames coastlands. In the Darent valley, in what is now west Kent, the Saxon settlement pattern can be directly related to the pre-existing Roman system of villa estates. The river Darent rises in the Vale of Holmesdale, cuts through the hard Upper Chalk of the North Downs and flows across the London Basin to join the river Thames. For most of its length the valley is approximately two miles wide, opening out as it merges into the Thames coastlands. The Roman Watling Street and the ancient trackway known as the Pilgrims' Way provide easy access to the valley from north and south, respectively. Saxon settlers may have travelled up along the Thames estuary by ship into the Darent valley, where they would have found a favourable place to settle for a people practising an agricultural/stock-rearing/fishing economy. The chalk bed-rock of the North Downs is capped with clay-with-flints and is heavily wooded, but along the Darent valley much of this woodland would have been cleared by pre-Roman settlers, at latest by the estate workers of the Romano-British villas which are particularly numerous here. The wet but fertile soil is shallow on the valley slopes but deeper in the valley bottom. The Darent valley, therefore, was an appealing area for the incoming Saxons to settle from the middle of the fifth century onwards. A total of eighteen cemeteries, five settlements and five casual finds belonging to the period from the mid-fifth through to the mid-seventh century are known from the Darent and Cray valleys and surrounding coastlands and are listed in table 1 (Fig. 1). Three 71 SUSAN TYLER A. ( t,\H I\R\ • ...UIU-\lls'l O===􀀆􀀇􀀈􀀉='SM * "'"" H'\I> ESSEX KENT CONTOUR VALUES 1N METRES N -1' Fig. 1. Early Anglo-Saxon sites in the Darent Valley and environs. substantial cemeteries attest to settlements of a fair size dating from the second half of the fifth century: that at Riseley, Horton Kirby (sometimes called Horton Kirby II); South Darenth, Horton Kirby (sometimes called Horton Kirby I) and Orpington. Of the others listed, that excavated at Polhill during 1956 and the 1960s comprised at least 110 graves but is of a slightly later date than the Horton Kirby and Orpington cemeteries, belonging to the seventh to eighth century. The cemetery at Darenth may prove to be a substantial 72 ANGLO-SAXON SETTLEMENT IN DARENT VALLEY cemetery dating from the mid-fifth century; it is probable that the twenty-three graves so far excavated represent only a small section of the cemetery. Most of the other cemeteries listed were found accidentally and, although documented, were not fully investigated at their time of discovery. The cemetery at Riseley, Horton Kirby, yielded five cremation and 107 inhumation burials, 65 of which were furnished, out of what had clearly been a much larger complex of burials. At South Darenth, Horton Kirby, at least 70 inhumations were investigated from what, again, had probably been a much larger cemetery. The Riseley cemetery was found during the preliminary work of road-making and trenching for water-mains on the Dartford Rural District Council's housing site at Risely in July 1937. The site was excavated by the Dartford District Antiquarian Society for a period of eighteen months.1 In 1949, building on the estate revealed a further grave with grave-goods, so it is clear that the whole cemetery was not investigated and more graves could lie there as yet undisturbed. At South Darenth, Horton Kirby, at least 70 inhumations were investigated from what, again, had probably been a larger cemetery. 2 Orientation of the graves seemed particularly random at both cemeteries and burial practices included the placing of flints on the grave floor and underneath the head. Charcoal occurred in many of the graves indicating that the burning of some objects within the grave may have formed part of the burial ritual. Most of the grave-goods are Saxon and can be paralleled elsewhere in west Kent, Essex, and the Upper Thames valley, the Midlands and Sussex. Contacts with Jutish east Kent are imperceptible before the seventh century, but then appear in Riseley, grave 56, in the form of an exceptionally fine set of jewellery of that date, which is probably of east Kentish origin (Plate I). Imported objects included a glass cone beaker found in one of the Riseley graves. 3 In the valley of the river Cray excavations at Fordcroft, Orpington, revealed a cemetery of nineteen cremations and 52 inhumations. 4 The grave-goods and cremation pottery from this cemetery belong to the second half of the fifth century through to the first half of the 1 A. Cumberland, 'Saxon cemetery, Riseley, Horton Kirby', Trans. of Dartford District Antiq. Soc., 8 (1938), 14-30. 2 R. Coates, 'Saxon Antiquities', Arch. Journ. xxiv (1867), 281-82. 3 S.A. Hilton, 'The Anglo-Saxon cemeteries at Horton Kirby, Kent', Unpublished undergraduate dissertation. University College, London, 1980. 4 P. Tester, 'An Anglo-Saxon cemetery at Orpington, First Interim Report', Arch. Cant., lxxxiii (1968) and 'Excavations at Fordcroft, Orpington', Arch. Cant., lxxxiv (1969), 39-79. 73 PLATE I --.J -"" Necklace of amethyst beads, gold pendants and a central pendant of silver with garnets and polychrome glass settings. (Scale: 3:2 ). C/l C C/l ► :;! r tT1 ';l:J ANGLO-SAXON SETTLEMENT IN DARENT VALLEY sixth. Much of the Orpington material is similar to that from the Horton Kirby cemeteries and includes disc and saucer brooches and stamped and incised pottery. In 1956, at Polhill, Dunton Green, thirteen Saxon burials were discovered during excavation of chalk banks at the junction of Pilgrims' Way and the A21 for a road widening scheme. Skeletons were said to have been found here in the nineteenth century, but no accurate records of these exist. 5 Twelve of the thirteen graves discovered in 1956 were orientated east-west and five contained grave-goods including an early seventh-century seax.6 During the 1960s a total of 107 further graves were found and recorded (but allowing for those destroyed by roadworks the cemetery probably contained over 150 graves). The predominantly east-west orientation of the graves and the utilitarian nature of the grave-goods date this large cemetery to the seventh to early eighth century. 7 What may prove to be a substantial cemetery is located at Darenth. A grave discovered here in 1954 during the laying of a telephone cable produced a silver-gilt square-headed brooch of Leeds' type B2, dateable to the second quarter of the sixth century and fragments of a beaten bronze bowl with a solid foot-ring and riveted rim with repousse bosses. 8 Another grave was found during excavations conducted by Lt.-Col. G.W. Meates and Mr J. Ritson but produced no grave-goods. In 1881, E.C. Youens found a shield boss, Evison's type lb, most probably dating to the sixth century, and a spearhead of Swanton's type Hl (the most popular type of spearhead in Saxon areas dating to the fifth and sixth centuries). A further two graves were excavated by the Dartford District Archaeological Group in 1977, one of which produced a pot and glass bowl. 9 The bowl is of Gallo-Roman/Frankish manufacture and parallels occur in the Haillot cemetery in Belgium belonging to the period A.D. 425-500.10 Further rescue excavations in 1981 revealed seven more graves ( one a double inhumation). Grave-goods from these excavations included a pair of applied brooches exhibiting five-point star decoration, date- 5 G. Ward, Sevenoaks Essays, 1931, 89-91. 6 M. Blumstein, 'Researches and Discoveries in Kent-The Anglo-Saxon cemetery at Polhill', Arch. Cant., lxxx (1956), 278-80. 7 S.C. Hawkes, 'The Dating and Significance of the Burials in the Polhill cemetery', in B. Philp Excavations in West Kent 1960-70, 1973, 186--99. 8 D.M. Wilson, 'An Anglo-Saxon Grave Near Dartford, Kent', Arch. Cant., lxx (1956), 187-91. 9 R. Walsh, 'Recent investigations at the Anglo-Saxon cemetery, Darenth Park Hospital, Dartford', Arch. Cant., xcvi (1981), 305-20. 10 L. Webster, 'Appendix I, Preliminary Report on Glass and Pottery from Grave 4', Arch. Cant., xciv, (1981), 315-6. 75 SUSAN TYLER able to the first half of the sixth century, and polychrome glass beads, which would belong to the late sixth century at the earliest.11 Other Saxon cemeteries have not been so clearly recorded and investigated. During the nineteenth century remains comprising swords and relics apparently came from graves in the Powder Works at Dartford. 12 These grave-goods have since been lost. Two reported cemeteries revealed during the digging of a railway cutting at Eynsford and Lullingstone were most probably the same site. Reportedly the boss of a shield was recovered from Eynsford and weapons, ornaments and an enamelled bowl were removed by workmen at Lullingstone. 13 Bronze bowls exhibiting enamelled escutcheons are of Celtic manufacture and are frequently found in Saxon graves. At Charton Manor, Farningham, several graves were investigated.14 The grave-goods comprised a pot, two spearheads (Swanton's type C2) and a ferrule; two knives (Evison's types 1 and 3); one francisca; belt fittings; one seax and one tall conical shield boss (Evison's type 3b). 15 These indicate a seventh-century date for the burials. Cremation burials are not so abundant; one was located at Otford in a stamp-decorated pot of sixth-century date.16 In the Cray Valley an unspecified number of graves were discovered in the 1880s, some situated in the fields above the left bank of the New River north of the bridge and some situated in Swan Lane. Gravegoods included a button of bronze, brass and bronze spurs, buckles, bits and curb chains.17 These descriptions sound unlikely, but unfortunately the grave-goods are now lost. The Thames coastlands between Erith and Gravesend have produced further Saxon inhumations. In the 1880s, seven or eight skeletons were disturbed in removing gravel from the edge of the top of the hill overlooking Littlebrook Farm. The graves were 3 ft. apart and orientated east-west. The only finds were a few small bits of pot of Saxon forms.18 In 1937, a further skeleton was found nearby; a 11 D. Batchelor, 'Darenth Park Anglo-Saxon cemetery, Dartford', Arch. Cant., cviii (1990), 35-72. 12 F.C.J. Spurrell, 'Dartford Antiquities, British, Roman and Saxon', Arch. Cant., xviii (1889), 314-5. 13 C. Roach-Smith, 'On Anglo-Saxon remains discovered recently in various places in Kent', Arch. Cant., iii (1872), 35-47. 1_4 A.H.A. Hogg, 'Earthworks in Joydens Wood, Bexley, Kent; App. II, List of obiects of the pagan period in the Valleys of the Cray and the Darent', Arch. Cant., !iv (1941), 26-7. 15 Examination of objects in Dartford Borough Museum by the author. :􀁬 A.L. Meaney, A Gazetteer of Early Anglo-Saxon Burial Sites, 1964. Spurrell, op. cit. in note 12. 18 Spurrell, op. cit. in note 12, p. 316. 76 ANGLO-SAXON SETTLEMENT IN DARENT VALLEY mechanical digger broke into the burial 100 yards north of Bow Arrow Lane railway bridge on the Dartford Tunnel Approach Road. The skeleton was on its right side facing the river Thames; no grave-goods were found. 19 In 1948, human skull fragments were found in a cable trench between the old Dartford Cement Works and the Temple Hill Housing Estate, at the rear of 'Barker's House' a half a mile from the graves found in the 1880s overlooking Littlebrook Farm.20 The evidence, therefore, seems to point to the existence of a sizeable cemetery here. At Church Path, Horns Cross, Stone, a fifthor sixth-century globular pot and a copper alloy bracelet with incised-line decoration and human bones were found when garage foundations were being dug.21 Two references to Anglo-Saxon remains from the Southfleet area could relate to a cemetery. A burial with spearhead and small green glass bowl was found during alterations to the lawn of Joyce Hall and a typical Anglo-Saxon urn was found during the construction of a railway from Gravesend to Southfleet.22 A large burial ground was found near the Old Chapel at Denton, when Denton Court was demolished; bones but no artifacts were found, but this site could have been Saxon. 23 The largest cemetery in the area is undoubtedly that found at Northfleet; unfortunately, it was not investigated methodically, but was a chance find. In 1848, C. Roach-Smith recovered some objects from graves destroyed by railway excavations in Church Field, Northfleet.24 In 1899, a further three or four graves were discovered here by workmen excavating chalk to the south of the church.25 Another nearby site produced further material during chalk extraction; its exact location is unclear, situated approximately 200 yards south-west of the chalk pit excavated in 1946.26 Most of the material is in Maidstone Museum, and it is clear that Northfleet was the cemetery of a rich and important community. Grave-goods include nine spearheads (Swanton's series H) and two ferrules; three shield bosses, hand-grips and shield board fittings; a francisca, two bronze bowls; gaming counters; three gilt copper alloy cast saucer brooches with Salin's Style 1, running leg and spiral decoration (Plate II); a 19 Kent Arch. Soc. Counc. Ann. Rep. Arch. Cant., l (1937), xxxvii-li. 20 Notes in Dartford Reference Library. 21 Information from Dartford Museum Catalogue. 22 Mrs. S.C. Hawkes pers. comm., 1984. 23 Mrs. S.C. Hawkes pers. comm., 1985. 24 C. Roach-Smith, 'Discovery of Anglo-Saxon Remains, Northfleet, Kent', Journ. Brit. Antiq. Ass., iii, (1848), 235-40. 25 Meaney, op. cit., in note 16, pp. 130-1. 26 Ibid. 77 -J 00 PLATE II IJ ; I I I I / I I I / I I i I I i I 111 I I I I I I 11 I I 1 111 I 11 1 1 111 I 1111 'I I I I I I i i I I I\ ! = Cast saucer brooch from Northfleet, Gilt copper alloy. (Scale: 2:1). en c:: en ► z 􀀁 r m ;:c, ANGLO-SAXON SETTLEMENT IN DARENT VALLEY silver ring; a needle holder and seventeen pots, some of which are highly decorated with stamped and incised decoration and burnished.27 These high-status objects point to an important site of late-fifth to mid-sixth century date. Several chance finds of Saxon date have been made in Dartford. 28 At Cranford Mead, Lowfield Street, an iron axe-head was found. In 1935, a spindle-whorl was found in the vicinity of Great Queen Street. Spearheads were found at The Brent, Dartford, and in Dartford's Central Park. Elsewhere the River Cray yielded up a single spearhead in 1913 in the vicinity of Old Bexley High Street. The Darent and Cray valleys and adjacent areas of the Thames estuary have been intensively settled since prehistoric times. However, investigations have, as yet, revealed little evidence for Saxon period buildings. One of the most striking features of the Early Saxon cemetery distribution pattern is the close juxtaposition of Roman villas and Saxon cemeteries. This pattern has long hinted at the probability that, during the fifth century, incoming Saxon settlers chose to settle in Romano-British villa estates in the Darent Valley. Excavations during the late 1960s and 1970s, conducted by the Kent Archaeological Rescue Unit and by the Dartford District Archaeological Group, confirmed this, revealing associated settlements for the two Horton Kirby cemeteries partially within the precincts of Roman villas. Excavations at the Franks Roman villa revealed a single sunken featured building located on the outer edge of the villa site. Approximately 100 m. east of the villa house during the construction of the M20 motorway a further sunken featured building ( of the two-post variety) was discovered associated with a few sherds of Saxon pot.29 The close proximity of the site to the Riseley cemetery makes it a likely candidate for the cemetery's associated settlement. Here the valley bottom is fertile and the gentle valley slopes could have been cultivated or set out to pasture. The discovery of domestic debris during excavations in 1969 on the site of the Roman villa at Darenth, less than a mile north of the South Darenth cemetery, shows that this site was also used by Saxon settlers. The Saxon finds from the southern wing of the villa included parts of two pots and at least two loom-weights. The pottery, which was undecorated, has been tentatively dated by Myres to the sixth century. The loom-weights are typical annular ones 27 Examination of the grave-goods in Maidstone Museum by the author. 28 Information from Dartford Museum Catalogue. 29 L. Webster, 'Medieval Britain in 1972', Med. Arch., xvii, (1976), 145. 79 SUSAN TYLER dateable to the early Anglo-Saxon period. There was also a small group of unstratified Roman and Saxon objects.30 During pipe-laying in 1972 three pits, of which two are certainly sunken featured buildings, were located outside the villa complex itself. These pits overlay second- to fourth-century Roman features and contained sixth-century pottery. Farther north a substantial timber-framed structure, associated with more sixth-century pottery was excavated. 31 This occupation site may be directly associated with the South Darenth cemetery, but more likely belongs to yet another neighbouring community, whose cemetery remains to be discovered. Further investigations into other Roman villa sites in the area should reveal more evidence of Saxon re-occupation. Excavations by the Dartford District Archaeological Group at the Wilmington Roman villa revealed pottery of the Saxon period associated with a series of post-holes. The Saxon occupation evidence cut into and overlay the Roman period features; this shows that the abandoned villa site was re-utilised by Early Saxon settlers.32 Evidence for other Saxon settlements is sparse. In July 1955, a settlement site was found under the Wellcome Chemical Works, Dartford, on the eastern slope of the Darent Valley.33 During alterations to one of the buildings a hole about a yard square was made through the concrete floor and continued downward into the soil for some distance. At a depth of 3 ft. animal bones, sherds of coarse hand-made pottery and a bone pin were recovered; finds suggesting Anglo-Saxon occupation, perhaps a hut floor. The pottery suggests a seventh-century date for the site. At Northfleet, J.P. T. Burchell found and excavated a pit north-east of N orthfleet sewage works. The fill contained Romano-British pottery sherds and tiles, animal bones and sherds of fifth-century Saxon pottery, including rusticated and Anglo-Frisian wares. 34 The Darent and Cray Valleys and adjoining Thames coastlands were evidently a favourable place to settle in the Early Saxon period. The Darent Valley must have seemed particularly attractive as this appears to have been most densely settled. The spacing of the cemeteries in the valley is markedly uniform with an average distance 30 B. Philp and E. Philp, Archaeological Excavations in the Darent Valley., 1973. 31 B. Philp, 'The Prehistoric, Roman and Saxon sites at Darenth', Excavations in the Darent Valley, Kent., 1984, 72-131. 32 R. Walsh, pers. comm., 1982. 33 P. Tester, 'An Anglo-Saxon Occupation site at Dartford', Arch. Cant., lxx (1956), 256-9. 34 J.P.T. Burchell and J.W. Brailsford, 'Pottery from Northfleet, Kent' Antiq. Journ., xxviii, (1948), 186-89. 80 ANGLO-SAXON SETTLEMENT IN DARENT VALLEY of approximately one and a half miles between each and all are sited on the 50 m. contour. The Cray Valley is not as rich in Saxon remains as its neighbour, but the Orpington cemetery follows the Darent Valley pattern in being situated on the 50 m. contour. The Thames coastlands cemeteries, the most impressive of which was undoubtedly that at Northfleet, are also located on relatively high land, although not exclusively on the 50 m. contour. Settlement evidence is sparse but where it is found, at Darenth, Wilmington, Dartford and Northfleet, it is located on low-lying land. The evidence points to a series as Saxon settlements along the bottom of the Darent valley with their associated cemeteries on the hill-slopes above them. This confirms previous ideas about the pattern of river valley settlement. It contrasts markedly with hill-top settlements excavated at Mucking, Essex;35 Bishopstone, Sussex36 and Chalton, Hants. ,37 which have lately come to be regarded as standard. Clearly at least two settlement patterns appeared in the Early Saxon period, and colonisation of the valley bottoms, probably always preferable, eventually proved more durable. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author would like to thank Mrs. S.C. Hawkes, of Oxford University, who helped me greatly in my research. The staff of Dartford and Maidstone Museums were very helpful in facilitating access to Saxon material in their collections. Plate I is by Mr Brian Tyler. 35 M.U. Jones and W.T. Jones, 'The Crop-mark sites at Mucking, Essex, England', in (Ed.) R. Bruce-Mitford, Recent Archaeological Excavations in Europe, 1975, 133-87. 36 D.M. Wilson, 'Medieval Britain in 1967', Med. Arch. xii (1968), 161. 37 P.V. Addyman and D. Leigh, 'The Anglo-Saxon Village at Chalton, Hampshire: Second Interim Report', Med. Arch., xvii, 1973, 1-25. 81