Excavations at Eccles 1975

EXCAVATIONS AT ECCLES, 1975 1 FOURTEENTH INTERIM REPORT A. P. DETSICAS, M.A., F.S.A. INTRODUCTION Excavations were continued, for the fourteenth successive season, under my direction and on behalf of the Eccles Excavation Committee, at the site of the large Romano-British villa located at Rowe Place Farm, Eccles, in the parish of Aylesford (N.G.R. TQ 722605; O.S. 6-in. Sheet TQ 76 SW). This work was carried out at weekends, from March until November 1975, and during a fortnight in July-August, when the site was used for a training course in Romano-British archaeology and excavation techniques, jointly sponsored by the Kent Archaeological Society and the Eccles Excavation Committee. I am indebted to the landowners, Messrs. Associated Portland Cement Manufacturers Limited and the Reed Paper Group, for readily allowing me to continue working on their property, and to their tenants, Messrs. A. A. and A. C. Southwell, and Messrs. A. and D. Tucker, for their kind -co-operation. The excavation was supported by grants from the Kent Archaeological Society, the British Academy, the Haverfield Bequest of the University of Oxford, and the Society of Antiquaries of London, without whose generosity this work could not have been undertaken. As in previous years, the field work was made possible by many friends, who volunteered their labour and to whom I am very grateful for their sustained support; though considerations o f space do not allow individual mention of all my colleagues, it is with great pleasure that I mention the following for their support in the course of the excavation and in their specialist fields: Mesdames G. Gledhill, G. Goodwin and P. M. Winzar; Miss S. J. Marsh; Messrs. R. J. Ansell, T. Beswick, G. Brown, E. Gledhill, A. C. Harrison, B.A., F.S.A., T. Hetherington, T. Ithell, B.Eng., W. A. Knowles, C. E. J. Martin, L. Thomsen and P. Thornhill, B.A. I am grateful to Mrs. K. F. Hartley, B.A., F.S.A., for reporting on the mortaria; the late Mr. M. R. Hull, M.A., F.S.A., for reporting on the brooches; Mrs. G. Goodwin, for her work with the 1 Arch. Cant., lxxviii (1963), 125-41; lxxix (1964), 121-35; lxxx (1965), 69-91; lxxxi (1966), 44-52; lxxxii (1967), 162-78; lxxxiii (1968), 39-48; lxxxiv (1969), 93-106; lxxxv (1970), 55-60; lxxxvi (1971), 25-34; bxxvii (1972), 101-10; lxxxviii (1973), 73-80; lxxxix (1974), 1 19-34; and xci (1975), 41-5. 157 A. P. DETSICAS pottery; and Miss S. J. Marsh, for greatly assisting with the field recording of this excavation. THE EXCAVATION This season's work was concentrated in areas to north-east and southeast of the villa complex, to south-west of the villa courtyard, on the medieval site and at another site (Site S) at a short distance from the main excavations. The results of this excavation (Figs. 1-2) are reported below within the chronological context of each feature. 1. LA TE IRON AGE/ROMANO-BRITISH Periods I-II, to c.A.D. 65 Ditch X was sectioned to east and west2 of the points reached in 19743 and its known length increased to some 283 ft. (86-25 m.). No new evidence has been found in these trenches for a turn at either of the present limits of this ditch, though the new sections confirmed the evidence recorded in previous years.4 Ditch VI was found to intersect Ditch X in one of the trenches to south-west of the villa, but its filling contained no dating material; however, it is clear that Ditch VI antedates the construction of the earliest house beneath which it passes and is later than Ditch X which it cuts. The absence of virtually any silt at the bottom of Ditch VI indicates that it must have been open for a very short time after the filling-in of Ditch X and before the building of the first villa. The boundary wall of the villa was further sectioned in one trench beyond the 1972 section,5 and was found to be of identical construction and continue its known alignment. Immediately to north-west of this wall within this new trench were found two complete pottery vessels which had been inserted upright partly into the subsoil; this suggests the probability that these pots may have contained shrubs or small trees growing as a screen against the boundary wall. Further trenching, beyond the public footpath,6 extended the length of the boundary wall for some 170 ft. (5 l •81 m.), but its turning to west to enclose the area in front of the villa has not yet been estaelished, nor has any evidence been found for any buildings within this area. It was observed, however, that whereas nearer the villa's south-west wing this boundary wall is of fairly insubstantial construction, further to south- 2 For reasons of space, trenching in this area is not shown In Fig. I. 3 Arch. Cant., xci (197S), 42. 4 Ibid., lxxxvi (1971), fig. 1. 5 Ibid., lxxxviii (1973), flg. I, 76. 6 Ibid., lxxviii ( 1963), fig. 1. 158 EXCAVATIONS AT ECCLES, 1975 west its construction is much more solid, with mortared ragstone resting on substantial foundations of fairly large river boulders bedded in deep construction trenches. Site S lies about 100 yards, beyond the public footpath, from the main site and much building debris is seen on the ploughsoil in this area. A number of trenches cut in this site failed, however, to recover any significant evidence, apart from a short length of a fairly narrow and shallow ditch recorded in two adjacent trenches. The subsoil in this area lies fairly close to the surface, and it is probable that the building debris to be found here derived from the demolition of the villa rather than from the destruction of an existing structure and was deposited in the course of ploughing. Ditch XI was also sectioned and its known length increased to 84 ft. 6 in. (25. 7 5 m. ); except for a slight deviation in its line to east, nothing significantly new has been found to determine its purpose. II. POST-ROMAN, c. A.D. 400-650 In the trench sectioning Ditch X to east of the house (Fig. I) a short section was also recorded of the curving gully which was first found in 1973;7 again, no dating evidence was found, though it clearly postdates Ditch X. Moreover, as an Anglo-Saxon burial had been inserted in this gully, it is clear that it must have been cut, for purposes hitherto indeterminable, some time after the destruction of the villa. III. ANGLO-SAXON, LATER THAN c. A.O. 650 A total of seven more inhumation burials were recovered this year; apart from the one already mentioned above, they had all been interred in the area excavated immediately to south-east of Ditch XIV; no grave goods were found with any one of these burials which had all been orientated approximately east to west, like the majority of burials in this cemetery. As these six burials were found close to the north-west edge of this trench, it is now almost certain that no more burials remain to be recovered and that the excavation of the Anglo-Saxon cemetery has been completed. To west of this trench, the whole area was cleared down to subsoil depth and many stake-holes, post-pits and post-holes were recorded; all these had been cut through a thick layer of Romano-British building debris and domestic refuse. Some of these post-holes must have contained fairly substantial posts, packed all round with stones and tiles. The purpose of the post-holes, etc., is not at present determined, and detailed study is required in order to establish whether they belong to the 1 lbid., lxxxix (1974), fig. 1, 120-21. 159 .... 0\ 0 .... ....0\ -.,. r·1 y. , . Stokt·bot•j I _____ j ·-·-·7 I 1j'ilClt X I ·-•-.J 0 r·-·-·7 .i !!! ECCLES 1974=75 L. ____ , r---·-·7 .I iI 􀁸 r -·- 7 r- -·-, .., r,·o;,c1, J(IY ,, i L..---􀀆 . I · 1 1 : ... ...-•I I.I 7►􀁵 •. iI . t..- I L -2."-.J GI --7i 􀁶--·-7 \"\$ I l I i. ____ j ·-·7 􀁷--·-.,;;i r·- -·1 f. t·.... -;,􀀧. i . 􀀨b,i,A XYI I . 'I' · I ' I ! I l . . ..... 􀀽 •. . ' 􀀾t,.., ........ ____ . .J L.,.,. . ..,....J L.􀀿 ..... ,. L.-. ·, I J I I r·-·-·-·-·-, ·I I I I IL ___ _ I --􀀇 awndo,, W11I/ r·1 MEDI £VAL UU i L._ -·-·- - _j r·7 I I I r-·--, I i I I I I I j L. __ j I r·--􀀅􀀆 i i...,,:.L.j r-•-=il i!I :--11:- 1 I L.-. i i ,,,.z I I I r· ·-, "' ,.􀁹, i ·, I j L ___ .,􀀡 ,., i, ___ j i I ,·-·-·7 L_ . l i... ___ j .JO 0 KJ l.l•tr• • Figs. 1 and 2. 􀀈G9.I ?>:-0 t/ >tll _.....=.- (") > > tll ;:'.j (") - A. P. DETSICAS plan of a small timber building, such as a chapel, connected with the Anglo-Saxon cemetery. IV. MEDIEVAL, THIRTEENTH CENTURY Three large trenches (Fig. 2) were cut in the area west of the medieval site established in 19748 which allowed the planning of cess-pits 1 and 2 to be completed. The gully, cutting through the villa's boundary wall,9 terminates in cess-pit 2 and its line suggests either occupation further to west or, more likely, that it was intended to drain this cess-pit. To south of this gully, two short lengths of foundations were recorded, both consisting of ragstone and some mortar. One of these lengths forms an angle which points directly at another length of foundations, of similar construction and width, recorded in 1974;10 if a wall had existed to connect these two lengths of foundations, it would have passed immediately to west of the cess-pits which are surrounded by the rough cobbling in this area. The cobbled area11 is delimited to east by a shallow ditch, with another such feature possibly extending as far as cess-pit 5; 12 another shallow ditch or gully was recorded south-west of this cess-pit. It would seem likely, therefore, that the cess-pit area was located outside whatever structure13 was enclosed by these shallow ditches. The medieval pottery, found among much surviving Romano-British debris and pottery, confirmed this phase of occupation to the thirteenth century. V. SUMMARY AND DISCUSSION After fourteen seasons' work at this large site, most of the questions posed by its re-discovery in 1961 have been resolved through excavation; there remain yet a few problems, however, some of which may never be conclusively settled. So far, there has been little direct evidence for an Iron Age occupation, and the earliest settlement of the site would seem to have taken place about the middle of the first century A.D., unless Ditch X can eventually be shown to belong to a military presence soon after A.D. 43, possibly connected with the events leading to the battle of the Medway. In this respect, it is unfortunate that it has proved impossible to find as 8 Ibid., fig. I, 132-3; xci (1975), fig. 4, 44. 9 Ibid., lxxxix (1974), fig. I, where it is erroneously shown as passing below the boundary wall. 10 Ibid., xci (1975), fig. 4. 11 Re-examination shows that the cobbling did not extend to south-east of this area and that the three trenches beyond the cobbled area had tile debris laid on the subsoil. '2Arch. Cant.,lxxxviii(l973),fig. I, 76. 13 These foundations could, of course, be those of a boundary wall. 162 EXCAVATIONS AT ECCLES, 1975 yet any turnings of this ditch to east and west; electric resistivity surveying and selective sectioning may provide some indications in following years. It seems unlikely now that a Romano-British cemetery has survived. Admittedly, there is space for such a burial ground to the rear of the villa, which may have escaped detection in spite of mechanical trenching. However, the area between the rear of the villa and the edge of the present woodland does not seem wide enough to allow for some distance between the house and its cemetery; moreover, it is known that some at least of this area had probably been used as a kitchen garden and, beyond this, for the deposition of refuse in pits which further reduces the available ground. It would seem likely, in consequence that, if a cemetery did exist out of sight of the villa, it would have been located much farther from it, not improbably beyond the woodland edge in an area which was extensively quarried for clay during the last century, at which time some vague references to burials in the quarry were recorded. The area enclosed to the front of the villa awaits definition, too, but this should not prove impracticable in the near future. The evidence for pottery and tile manufacture close to the villa site is also likely to remain tantalizingly incomplete as those sites, close to the Medway, have been almost entirely destroyed by modern industrial activity. Evidence for an Anglo-Saxon settlement, necessitated by the excavation of its cemetery on the villa grounds, is still lacking; it should lie to the east of the area so far examined. The medieval occupation of the site, whatever its extent, as indicated by the presence of the cess-pits, is also unlikely to be satisfactorily established owing to the existence of fairly recent ponds and the marshy nature of the ground where such settlement is likely to have been located. 163