Excavations and Discoveries at the Romao-British Cemetery East Hill Dartford

85 Excavations and Discoveries at the RO MANO - BRITISH CEMETERY, EAST HI LL, DART FORD a.n. herbert The purpose of this report is to bring together for the first time details of the early accidental discoveries on this site, the first archaeological excavation (in 1965) and the early work carried out by Dartford District Archaeological Group (DDAG) in 1973-4 – the excavation of a Roman child’s coffin followed by two training excavations. Mention is also made of further work by DDAG, the Canterbury Archaeological Trust and Wessex Archaeology. The site in question is situated to the east of Dartford town centre on an area overlooking the Darent Valley, and is bounded today by East Hill to the north, Darenth Road to the west and Brent Lane to the south (NGR TQ 546 737; see Fig. 1). The geology of the site consists of a shallow topsoil with underlying natural gravel of the Boyn Hill Terrace which stretches eastward from the site. The existence of a cemetery on the site was first discovered in c.1792 when Thomas Brandon, a grocer, of Overy Street, Dartford, and owner of East Hill Field became concerned about one of the boundary hedges. He noted that its growth was slow in comparison with other hedges, so he asked his labourers to investigate the reason for its stunted growth. On digging into the ground they struck a solid object at a depth of four feet. Unable to move the stone they dug around it to determine the limits of this obstruction. They soon revealed it to be a stone sarcophagus, which was opened to reveal a human skeleton. The human remains were later reinterred in the ‘upper churchyard’ which today is known as St Edmund’s Pleasance. The coffin however was taken to Mr Brandon’s premises ‘opposite the church’ and eventually broken up. According to John Dunkin, a local historian, some said that the sarcophagus had a recess for the head, although accounts were contradictory. He also states that ‘quantities of broken pottery’ were found during this work but unfortunately not retained.1 About five years later Mr Brandon required a large hole to be dug to enable the burial of ‘his favourite horse’. Located in the upper part of his field, this revealed a second, larger, sarcophagus. More care in its A.N. HERBERT 86 Fig. 1 East Hill House location plan. excavation was taken this time and the vicar of Wilmington, the Revd Samuel Denne, was in attendance. The lid of the sarcophagus was held firmly in place by a number of iron EXCAVATIONS & DISCOVERIES AT ROMANO-BRITISH CEMETERY, DART FORD 87 clamps which, on forcing it open, broke into pieces. The body, apart from the head, appeared to be covered by ‘chalky cement’ which looked as if it had been poured in over the corpse. On first opening the coffin the face was of a dark mahogany colour and appeared to show the facial features of the deceased. One of the people attending the opening of the coffin touched the nose of the deceased and the features immediately crumbled to dust. Like the previous discovery, the bones were reinterred in the upper churchyard, apart from the skull which was kept for a time in the parlour of Mr John Brandon (Thomas’s son?). The sarcophagus was taken to Brandon’s yard where it was used as a horse trough until about Whitsuntide 1810 when on the orders of John Brandon it was broken into pieces which were then used to pave a cow house in Overy Street!2 In 1804 Brandon employed a number of workmen to dig gravel in East Hill Field. During this work a number of other burials were found in the remains of wooden coffins laid side by side, orientated north-south. Coffin nails were also found as well as what was described as a green glass lachrymatory, used to collect the tears of the mourners. This was unfortunately broken in excavation, although the neck section was given to John Dunkin, historian who retained it for some years. The gravel extraction also revealed a pottery vessel associated with one of the burials. It was described as being six inches high and three inches in diameter with a narrow neck two inches long.3 After the death of John Brandon the land was sold to John Landale who, whilst trenching the ground in c.1822, found another stone sarcophagus. According to Landale it contained a ‘female skeleton, with remarkably small bones’. The body was partly coated in plaster and was accompanied by a ‘copper coin of Constantinopolis’. The skeletal remains from this coffin and others found during this work were reburied in the field. The empty coffin was taken to Park Place, which was located above the junction of Darenth Road and East Hill. Some years later it was moved to John Landale’s residence, West Hill House (now the Masonic Hall), West Hill. At some later date it was transferred to the Holy Trinity Church, and in 1967 it was donated to Dartford Borough Museum where it can be seen on permanent display. Many other Roman relics were revealed during Landale’s occupation of East Hill including further skeletons, pottery and coins.4 In 1965 the very first archaeological examination of East Hill took place. This was carried out under the auspices of Dartford Borough Museum and uncovered 35 inhumations. In most cases little was left of the skeletons except for dark stains, attributed by the Director of the excavation to strong acidity of the soil, although some skulls and large bones had survived. Pottery finds, including seven intact vessels, dated the site to late third/fourth century ad. Evidence of earlier occupation in the area took the form of a flint foundation wall of an Iron Age structure with A.N. HERBERT 88 post holes. Calcinated flints were also found and the domestic ceramic finds gave a date of c.100 bc/early first century ad.5 In 1973 a trench dug by workmen on the north side of East Hill House (TQ 5476 7382) revealed a small limestone sarcophagus which was excavated by DDAG (at site D4, see below). In 1974, excavation was carried out on a neighbouring part of the site by DDAG. The report for this site (EHHI) forms the main part of this article. The second East Hill House excavation (EHHII), also detailed below, was carried out by DDAG the following year. Several years later DDAG carried out extensive excavations west of East Hill House (grid D41; TQ 5468 7414). These continued until 1988 when the Canterbury Archaeological Trust was called in to take over the excavations as part of a planning application to build on the burial site. This uncovered 186 graves of which 83 were fully excavated.6 CAT also undertook an evaluation in December 2001 prior to further building on the East Hill House site. This produced three Roman graves plus Palaeolithic to early Iron Age evidence.7 Next came a small evaluation by Wessex Archaeology, which they followed with a larger excavation, uncovering 109 graves.8 East Hill House Stone Sarcophagus (site D4) In 1973, workmen digging a pipe trench to the east of East Hill House disturbed a rectangular stone object, which turned out to be a small Romano-British sarcophagus, possibly suitable for a five-year old child. Roman child’s coffin during excavation, 1973 plate I EXCAVATIONS & DISCOVERIES AT ROMANO-BRITISH CEMETERY, DART FORD 89 Roman child’s coffin following excavation, 1973 There were traces of possible lead fixings although the lid was missing and a nineteenth century-gin trap, still set but heavily corroded, had been placed inside. The original contents had been removed, possibly when plate II A.N. HERBERT 90 first uncovered, presumably when East Hill House was built in the early nineteenth century. The sarcophagus once carried a lid that was held in place by four clamps (see Fig. 2). No evidence of the lid has ever been found, and it may have been broken up when the coffin was disturbed in the nineteenth century. The coffin is made from a shelly limestone, possibly Barnack.9 It is plainly finished with no decoration. The rectangular form has parallel sides, with square corners with slight rounding on one of the corners, possibly caused by removal damage. Near one of the clamping marks a small 1cm hole has been drilled and plugged with lead on the upper surface where the lid was located. The dimensions of the coffin are: cm inches Length 125 49¼ Width 57 22½ Depth (interior) 22 8¾ Depth (exterior) 37 14½ After excavation the sarcophagus was placed inside East Hill House for safekeeping, where it was eventually used to support a photocopier! In October 1998, during redecoration at East Hill House by the Kent County Council Adult Education Authority, the sarcophagus was removed from the building and dumped outside. It remained there until 2006 when it was rescued from the site just prior to the demolition of East Hill House. It is now in storage at Dartford Borough Museum. east hill house i On 30 March 1974, a practical archaeological training course was carried out as part of an evening class in the grounds of East Hill House, the KCC AE building in Sterndale Road, Dartford. Roger Walsh, the course tutor, chose a location west of outlying classrooms of East Hill House where six 2m-square test grids were sunk. This was done in a relatively small area at first, locating burial features in the first three grids to the south. This prompted opening up an area 5 x 9m in an open excavation. Iron Age evidence came from scatters of ceramics which were recovered from within the infill of some of the burials. Evidence of much earlier occupation also came from a scatter of worked flints and an Acheulian hand-axe of the lower Palaeolithic period. The burials themselves were on the east/west alignment with heads to the west which, reinforced by the lack of any grave goods, could suggest Christian burial practice, although this can never be assumed.10 Amongst other finds in grave infill were sherds of earlier first/second-century Romano-British ceramics. No evidence of grave markers was found, and a post hole discovered alongside burial no. 1 is presumed to be from a later boundary fence. EXCAVATIONS & DISCOVERIES AT ROMANO-BRITISH CEMETERY, DART FORD 91 Fig. 2 Roman coffin from East Hill House. A.N. HERBERT 92 Early stage of excavation of East Hill House I, looking south, 1974 plate III EXCAVATIONS & DISCOVERIES AT ROMANO-BRITISH CEMETERY, DART FORD 93 Grave Inventory Table 1 (Appendix 1) provides data on the physical character of the grave cuts. Measurements shown are total dimensions. Depths are taken from natural gravel level (37cm in the south of the site to 50cm in the north). Above this datum is soil, to ground level. Fig. 3 gives grave positions within the site while Fig. 4 illustrates the graves in numerical sequence. All graves were adult and the infill of each consisted of soil, chalk fleck and gravel; Table 2 (Appendix 1) gives full details of their contents. The dentistry evidence discovered at East Hill House I is set out in the Appendix 2. A single post hole, 17cm in diameter, was discovered on the northern side of the foot of grave 2. There were no finds and it is believed to be a later fence post. Top soil finds across the site, mainly eighteenthtwentieth century in date, consisted of bricks, tiles, ceramics, glass, iron, clay pipes. Ceramic Report The ceramics mentioned in this report are derived both from a sherd plate IV Later stage of excavation of East Hill House I, looking south, 1974 A.N. HERBERT 94 Fig. 3 East Hill House I; map of the site. EXCAVATIONS & DISCOVERIES AT ROMANO-BRITISH CEMETERY, DART FORD 95 Fig. 4 Plan of the graves at East Hill House I. A.N. HERBERT 96 scatter in the soil layer just above the burials, and also from the grave infill. Twenty five per cent of ceramic finds from the excavation are first century bc/ad Iron Age sherds while 25 per cent are Romano-British sherds with the remaining 50 per cent being from a single vessel of the fifth/sixth century ad. This excludes finds of later ceramics from the upper layers (see further report below). The soil layer sherd scatter is apparently derived from an earlier occupation of the hilltop site, before becoming part of the burial ground during the Romano-British period. The first century bc/ad Iron Age sherds consist of a handmade brown and black fabric with heavy sand (quartz) inclusions, some also with added grog. They are plain, undecorated wares. There is evidence of at least two everted rim pots in handmade black fabric. These appear to be of local manufacture in north-west Kent. The Romano-British wares consist mainly of local sandy wares with a fine, hard, sandy, imported white ware. One wall sherd of a Patchgrove ware jar shows incised acute lattice decoration of the first/second century ad. Most are of black/brown local wares with a few sherds of grey ware. Most are badly eroded and worn. The sherds of first century bc/ad Iron Age wares and the Romano-British wares are considered to be from vessels once deposited or discarded in ground level soil (resting on natural gravel 95ft above sea level) which were then disturbed when the later Romano-British inhumations were undertaken. The Anglo-Saxon sherds all belong to one vessel, a pedestal pot, believed to be early Saxon, with an everted rim which was found broken, but in an upright position, to the south of the head of Grave 3 (Fig. 5). Fig. 5 Anglo-Saxon pot. EXCAVATIONS & DISCOVERIES AT ROMANO-BRITISH CEMETERY, DART FORD 97 Table 3 (Appendix 1) provides full details of the individual sherds which may be briefly summarised as follows: Grid Grave Quantity Item Length (cm) D4 1 6 Iron Coffin nails 9-17 D7 5 1 Iron Coffin nail 12 D/E4 8 11 Iron Coffin nails 7.5-16 Grave 3 containing the most complete skeletal remains on site, East Hill House, 1974 plate V Total of separate sherds 35 Constituent sherds of early Saxon vessel (no. 34) 23* Extra body sherds from above vessel 2 Total 60 Iron Age 25 Romano-British Sherds including 1 base, 1 jar shoulder/1 jar wall) 10 Sherds from early Saxon vessel 25 Total 60 * match break sherds Other Finds Metal (Fig. 6) A.N. HERBERT 98 Lithics – Calcinated flint fragments (‘pot boilers’) Fig. 6 Coffin nails. Grid Grave/feature Quantity D/E4 G8 29 D5 F2 2 D/E5 G4 4 Grid Grave/feature Quantity scrapers Quantity debris Layer 1* 0 5 D8 F9 1 1 E4 G8 1 1 E6 F11 2 1 E6 Layer 82 2 1 Flint scrapers *top soil – all grids EXCAVATIONS & DISCOVERIES AT ROMANO-BRITISH CEMETERY, DART FORD 99 Acheulian Hand-Axe An undamaged hand-axe, 11.3cm in length and light saffron in colour, was located by the north side of grave 1 resting on the natural gravel layer (Fig. 7). Fig. 7 Acheulian hand-axe. Later Ceramic and Non-Ceramic Finds from above Natural Gravel and Burials The bulk of items shown in Table 4 below range from the nineteenth century from when East Hill House is first noted on the 1801 Ordnance Survey map. TABLE 4. Later Ceramic and Non -Ceramic Finds Grid Ref No: Item Date Topsoil T/S 1 Clay pipe bowl Late 18th /early 19th century T/S 1 Clay pipe stem ([PA]SCALL / DARTF[ORD]) 1832-1851 T/S 1 Window glass (0.1cm thick) 16th/17th century T/S 1 Rim of bowl –16cm diameter – (cream ware with glaze inside – Surrey white ware) 16th century A.N. HERBERT 100 Grid Ref No: Item Date T/S 1 Sherd (red fabric with green glaze – London Ware) 15th/16th century T/S 1 Sherd from jug (brown earthenware with white ring decoration – West Kent Ware) 16th/17th century T/S 1 Sherd (light brown earthenware) 16th/17th century T/S 1 Ornament of white glazed china ware – head and shoulders of a female (?) figure with foliage branch. 19th century D6 21 Red floor tile fragment (11cm wide; 3cm thick) 19th century D6 21 Base of jug (internally glazed red earthenware – London) Late 18th/early 19th century D6 21 Rim of pot – 12cm diameter – (white earthenware with triangular ridge line decoration and vertical wall - Surrey White Ware) 16th century D6 F3 Rim of pot – 6cm diameter (imitation basalt ware 19th century D6 21 Fragment of dark brown glass. 19th century D6 21 Base – 16cm diameter – (hard black fabric - London Ware) 15th century D7 31 Clay pipe stem (W COPE / WOOLWICH) 1817-51 D7 31 Fragment of porcelain cup (white ware with blue transfer) 19th century D8 41 Clay pipe (RS on spur) Late 19th century D8 41 Bone domino piece with central rivet (six and one) Late 19th/early 20th century D8 42 Two sherds of brown fabric with green glaze. 16th century D9 1 Clay pipe stem (W SANDY / DARTFORD) 1862-c.1874 D9 1 Fragment of clay pipe bowl and stem, decorated with windmill, wheatsheaf and plough (SF on spur; […..]ORD on stem) Late 19th century F6 1 Clay pipe (HEDGE in a circular stamp on the bowl) Late 19th century EXCAVATIONS & DISCOVERIES AT ROMANO-BRITISH CEMETERY, DART FORD 101 Conclusion to East Hill House I This small trial excavation/training dig revealed ten burials from a much greater cemetery which spread across the brow of East Hill, Dartford. Mainly adult burials were found, on a rough east-west alignment, with heads to the west. Three contained evidence of coffin inhumation, whilst the remainder of the fully excavated graves could be assumed to be shroud burials. Lack of skeletal remains has been attributed to the acidic nature of the gravel. As mentioned above, no dating evidence was found in the graves but they post-date the first/early second-century Romano-British sherds which were found in the backfill. east hill house ii In February 1975 a second training excavation was carried out north-east of the previous site (East Hill House I), at the western end of the East Hill House building (see Fig. 1), on a lawn next to a boundary fence and partly within a coppice (TQ 5471 7385). The soils/geology encountered were (1) a brown loamy gravel/soil to a depth of 30cm covering all grids; (2) natural, orange sandy gravel from the depth of 30cm. A datum point was established along the previous year’s Grid Line B, 30m north-east of the northern extent of the earlier site which had revealed ten burials. Four grids, each two metres square, were excavated as grids AA to DD: Grid AA: this first grid was located 5m west of the datum line B and 16m south of the datum point, i.e. nearer to the previous excavations (EHHI) bordering the edge of a lawn, so as to explore the top edge of a terrace bank adjacent to a dry valley. Grid BB; the second grid was located 15m north along the base datum line B from the datum point and was established to explore infilling of a dry valley and possible evidence of earlier use of the valley. Grid CC: this was located between grids AA and BB along datum line B. Grid DD; this was the furthest grid north, 7m from grid BB along datum Line B, and within a coppice. Typical eighteenth-, nineteenth- and twentieth-century items were recorded from the topsoil (see Table 5), as with East Hill House I. No burials or early ceramics were located although a Palaeolithic scraper and a Roman coin were retrieved. The excavation was unsuccessful at locating any further burials, either because inhumations had not reached this part of the hilltop or because the ground had been disturbed by landscaping of the grounds of East Hill House during the nineteenth century. A.N. HERBERT 102 Date of finds Apart from a Palaeolithic flint scraper and a single dupondius of the late first century ad (see report below), most finds were nineteenth/twentiethcentury household wares, building materials and assorted domestic debris. TABLE 5. Ceramic and Non -Ceramic Finds from East Hill House II Grid Layer Qty Description Date AA 2 2 Porcelain sherds 20th century AA 1 1 Sherd, fine earthenware (red) 19th century AA 1 1 154mm square floor tile (red), 23mm thick 19th century AA 1 1 Flint scraper tool (large) Palaeolithic AA 1 1 Fragments, clay pipe stems (white) 19th century AA 1 1 25mm square limestone tile (white), 12mm thick 19th century AA 1 1 Animal bone (section), butchered ? BB 1 1 Fragment of floor tile (red) 19th century BB 1 1 Fragment of pegged roof tile (red) Medieval to 19th century BB 1 1 Fine earthenware (red) 19th century BB 1 1 Pot boiler ? BB 1 1 Metal pipe ring fitting 19th/20th century BB 2 1 Roman coin (see report) ad 84/85 CC 1 1 Fragment, floor tile (red) 19th century CC 1 1 Rim of large earthenware flowerpot (red) 19th century CC 1 1 Pig or lamb vertebra ? CC 1 1 Fragment of pantile (red) 19th/20th century CC 1 1 Base of imitation decorated black basalt ware oblong jug(?) Late 19th century CC 1 1 Fragment of limestone window sill 19th century DD 4 2 Fragments of heat damaged clay 19th century DD 1 Fragment of stock brick 19th century DD 1 Glass phial (clear), 2cm diam./11cm high 19th century DD 1 Clay Pipe bowl and stem (BURNS / CUTTY) mid-19th century EXCAVATIONS & DISCOVERIES AT ROMANO-BRITISH CEMETERY, DART FORD 103 Coin from East Hill House II by Dr M.C.W. Still A worn dupondius of Domitian. Obverse: [IMP CAE]S DO[MITIA]N AVG G[ERM COS X or XI], bust right, radiate with aegis. Reverse: S.C., Mars hastening left, holding Victory and trophy. RIC 245(a), mint of Rome, ad 84 or RIC 265(a), mint of Rome, ad 85. The presence of East Hill House, built in the early nineteenth century, accounts for most of the debris whilst the absence of deep intrusions into the natural gravel confirmed that the area had not been used for burials, despite the extensive Romano-British burial ground nearby. Shallow features were located but were explained as ground disturbance caused by nineteenth century landscaping. conclusion The discovery of a small Roman stone coffin in 1973 led to renewed interest in a site which had produced intermittent finds over the years. In 1974, ten graves were uncovered, five of which contained fragmentary remains of skeletal evidence, particularly skulls (grave nos 2, 3, 4, 6 and 9). The acidic nature of the gravel or ground appears to have proved detrimental to bone, wood and other organic matter alike. Three burials showed evidence of coffins through the presence of iron nails (nos 1, 5 and 8), the lack of these suggesting shroud burials in the other graves. The graves containing skull fragments were on an east-west alignment, with the heads to the west and this appears to be true of the others as well. There was a lack of grave goods with only occasional pre-Roman and first/second-century sherds found in the infill from earlier use of the hill top. In 1975 further excavations nearby did not uncover any more graves but produced a first century ad coin. acknowledgements The author would like to thank members of the Dartford District Archaeological Group for their help in the production of this report: Chris Baker, Dr Mike Still, Graham Mitchell, Ken Walton, Ted Connell and Lesley Bright. The author would also like to thank Dr Peter Draper, Malcolm Lyne and Christopher Sparey-Green for their expert opinions. A.N. HERBERT 104 APPENDIX 1 TABLE 1. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF GRAVES 1-10 (DIMENSIONS IN CM) Grave No./Grid 1 2 3/DE6 4/D/E5&6 5/D7 6/E6 7/4 8/D/E/4 9/D8 & 10/D8 Orientation 82.5° east of north 60o east of north 60o east of north 73o east of north est. eastwest * 63 o east of north est. eastwest * 70 o east of north est. east/ west * Length at top 189 210 180 260 195 232 Length at bottom 171 260 170** 215 160 200 Width at top (at head) 113 115 115 100 96 95 94 Width at top (at feet) 85 100 120 110 95 99 Width at bottom (at head) 85 68 54 63 43 70 77 Width at bottom (at feet) 75 57 45 73 65 76 Maximum depth of grave 95 90 98 75 95*** 65 75 * No accurate bearing ** up to the edge of grid *** Maximum obtainable depth EXCAVATIONS & DISCOVERIES AT ROMANO-BRITISH CEMETERY, DART FORD 105 TABLE 2. DETAILS OF CONTENTS AND INFILL OF GRAVES 1-10 Contents Finds from Infill Comments 1 No skeletal remains. Six iron coffin nails in situ (see non ceramic finds report and Fig. 6). A number of calcinated flints, one struck flake Overall uniform shape with slightly tapered sides. Head of grave partially unexcavated due to restrictions 2 Friable skull fragments including mandible and teeth (see dental report) retrievable at southwest end of grave Six sherds (see ceramic report) None 3 Friable skeleton. Skull at south-west end (see dental report) Two sherds (see ceramic report) Partially unexcavated at foot of grave due to restrictions 4 Fragmentary friable skull at south/west end (see dental report) Two calcinated flints and four sherds (see ceramic report) Slightly tapered sides 5 No skeletal remains No ceramic finds. One iron coffin nail (see nonceramic finds report and Fig. 6) Only head of grave was excavated due to restrictions. The grave had a rounded head with greatly tapered sides. The only grave to have flints (some burnt) located around the top edge 6 Fragmentary friable remains of skull and shoulders at south-west end of grave (see dental report). Flints packed to form a pillow beneath skull No finds from infill Grave was rounded at feet and had tapering sides 7 No finds Little information available, only partially excavated. Grave had tapered sides 8 No skeletal remains Around the outer edges of the grave bottom, 11 iron coffin nails in situ, 7.5-16cm (see non ceramic report). Also five sherds (see ceramic report) and fragments of calcinated/burnt flint, 28 pieces The longest grave on the site. Tapered form, radiused corners with tapered sides, much wider at the feet A.N. HERBERT 106 Contents Finds from Infill Comments 9 Fragmentary friable remains of skull and shoulders at southwest end of grave See dental report for age No finds Adult burial with only partial excavation of the head of the grave due to restrictions. Head of grave is rounded 10 No skeletal remains or finds Partial excavation of rounded foot of grave TABLE 3. DESCRIPTION AND DATING OF POTTERY SHERDS (EHHI) Feature Grave Sherd Description Date 1 1 1 Body sherd, fine sandy ware, white fabric. Import? Late 1st century ad; R-B. 1 2 2 Body sherd, sandy ware, black fabric, bright orange slip, stick jabbed decoration, local red ware, quartz inclusions. Local fabric. 1st century ad; R-B. 1 2 3 Body sherd, 4cm diameter, fine sandy ware, black fabric, brown surface, fine quartz and grog inclusions. Same as no.24. Date as No. 2. 1st century ad; R-B 2 2 4 Body sherd, jar shoulder? Fine sandy ware, black fabric, fine quartz inclusions. Local fabric. 1st century ad – IA. 2 2 5 Body sherd, fine sandy ware, black fabric, medium quartz and silica inclusions. Local fabric. 1st century ad – IA. 2 2 6 Body sherd, sandy coarse ware, black fabric, light brown surface, quartz and silica inclusions. Local fabric. 1st century ad – IA. 2 2 7 Body sherd, sandy coarse ware, black fabric, light brown surface, quartz and silica inclusions. Local fabric. 1st century ad – IA. 2 2 8 Body sherd, find sandy ware, black fabric, light brown surface, medium quartz and silica inclusions. Local fabric. 1st century ad – IA. 2 2 9 Body sherd, sandy ware, black fabric, quartz and silica inclusions. Late Iron Age. 2 2 10 Body sherd, unidentifiable black and brown sandy coarse ware. ? EXCAVATIONS & DISCOVERIES AT ROMANO-BRITISH CEMETERY, DART FORD 107 Feature Grave Sherd Description Date 2 2 11 Body sherd, unidentifiable black and brown sandy coarse ware. ? 3 3 12 Body sherd, jar shoulder, coarse sandy ware, red/brown fabric, large quartz inclusions. Local fabric. 1st century ad – IA. 3 3 13 Body sherd, jar shoulder, coarse sandy ware, red/brown fabric, large quartz inclusions. Local fabric. 1st century ad – IA. 3 4 14 Body sherd, jar wall, Patchgrove ware, brown fabric, grey core, incised open lattice decoration. 2nd century ad – R-B. 4 4 15 1 Base sherd, 8cm diameter, fine sandy ware, black fabric, quartz silica inclusions. 1st century ad – IA. 4 4 16 1 Base sherd, fine sandy ware, black fabric, brown slip, quartz, grog and silica inclusions. Late 1st century ad – R-B. 4 4 17 Body sherd, fine sandy ware, black fabric, brown surface, quartz, grog and silica inclusions. Late 1st century ad – R-B. 4 4 18 Body sherd, coarse sandy ware, black fabric, quartz and grog inclusions. Local fabric. 1st century ad – IA. 4 4 19 Body sherd, coarse sandy ware, black fabric, quartz and grog inclusions. Local fabric. 1st century ad – IA. 4 4 20 Body sherd, coarse sandy ware, black fabric, brown slip, quartz inclusions. Local fabric. 1st century ad – IA. 4 4 21 Body sherd, coarse sandy ware, black fabric, brown slip, quartz inclusions. Local fabric. 1st century ad – IA. 4 4 22 Body sherd, coarse sandy ware, black fabric, brown slip, quartz inclusions. Local fabric. 1st century ad – IA. 4 4 23 Body sherd, sandy ware, brown fabric, red-brown surface, quartz, grog and silica inclusions. Local fabric. 1st century ad – IA. 4 4 24 Body sherd, sandy ware, black fabric, brown surface (traces of red colourcoat), quartz and silica inclusions. Same as no.3. 1st century ad – R-B. 11 6 25 Body sherd, sandy ware, grey fabric, brown surface, quartz inclusions. 1st century ad – IA. A.N. HERBERT 108 Feature Grave Sherd Description Date 11 6 26 Body sherd, fine sandy ware, black fabric, brown surface, quartz inclusions. 1st century ad – IA. 11 8 27 Body sherd, fine sandy ware, black fabric, light grey surface. Local fabric. 1st century ad – IA. 11 8 28 Body sherd, fine sandy ware, black fabric, light grey surface. Local fabric. 1st century ad – IA. 11 8 29 Body sherd, fine sandy ware, black fabric, light grey surface. Local fabric. 1st century ad – IA. 11 8 30 Body sherd, fine sandy ware, black fabric, light orange-brown surface. 2nd century ad – R-B. 11 8 31 1 everted jar rim, 12cm diameter, (ware as 27 – 29) 1st century ad – IA. 8 8 32 Body sherd, fine sandy ware, black fabric, brown surface, quartz inclusions. Late 1st century ad – R-B. 9 8 33 1 everted jar rim, 16 cm diameter, brown fabric, grog and silica inclusions. Local fabric? Late 1st century ad Grid D8 Layer 1 (G41) 35 Body sherd, sandy ware, black fabric, quartz and silica inclusions with jabbed decoration. Local fabric. 1st century ad - IA. Grid D8 Layer 1 (G41) 36 1 Wall/base, 10cm diameter, fine sandy ware, grey fabric, orange/brown surface. Late 1st century ad – R-B. Grid E/6 3 34 23 match break sherds and two other sherds. One everted rim jar, 14cm diameter (rim), burnished black fabric, fine quartz and silica inclusions, uneven, hand made. Deep shouldered. Estimated height of c.10cm. Local fabric. Lyne is inclined to think that the pot is Early Saxon – the close-up of the fabric section indicates siltsized <0.10mm quartz filler like that in many vessels of 5th-6th C. Date; the internal polish is also characteristic and the profile of the lower part of the vessel suggests a pedestal base similar to that on ‘standfussgefass’ vessels of 5th C date. 5th - 6th century ad EXCAVATIONS & DISCOVERIES AT ROMANO-BRITISH CEMETERY, DART FORD 109 appendix 2 Dentistry of East Hill House I by Dr P.H.G. Draper Grave No. Description 2 One molar (upper). Typical adult dentition, cusps badly eroded due to high grit content in diet, i.e. millstone grits in flour etc. No evidence of dental caries. Molar is of a young adult. 3 One molar, one pre-molar and fragments of another unidentifiable tooth, neither showing any wear of cusps. Good condition, no signs of dental caries. From an adult in their 20s. 4 Two molars in situ on fragment of mandible at the top, rear molar cusps worn at acute angle due to gross mis-alignment of jaw. One pre-molar also badly worn at an angle. No signs of infection. From an adult in their 30s. 6 Five molars, no signs of wear or dental decay. Five pre-molars also in good condition. One canine or incisor in good condition. Good condition indicates a grit-free diet, possibly one who ate high quality food. From an adult in their 20s. 9 Four pre-molars and lower left mandible fragment – one pre-molar chipped (possibly giving pain from bacterial intrusion into exposed dentine), two pre-molars worn down, no dental decay. One premolar with slight wear. Some evidence in mandible of a healed infection in the interior. From an adult in their 20s/30s. Fragments of dentition from three adults with badly worn cusps showing high grit content in diet and two with little or none. The latter is unusual for the Romano-British period. As expected, there was no evidence of dental caries, as is typical of diets with low sugar content. A.N. HERBERT 110 endnotes 1 J. Dunkin, 1844 (reprinted 1904), The History and Antiquities of Dartford with topographical notices of the neighbourhood, pp. 88-89. 2 Ibid., 89-90. 3 Ibid., 90. 4 Ibid., 92-3. 5 J.V. Ritson, 1966, ‘Notes from the Dartford Museum’, DHAS Newsletter 3, 37-8. 6 M. Leyland, 1989, ‘East Hill, Dartford’, Archaeologia Cantiana, cvii, 342-345; M. Leyland, ‘East Hill, Dartford’, Canterbury’s Archaeology 1988-89 (1990), 33-5; S.S. Frere, 1990, ‘Roman Britain in 1989; I. Sites Explored’, Britannia, xxi, 364. 7 J. Willson, 2003, Canterbury’s Archaeology 2001-02, 47-48. 8 Wessex Archaeology, 2005, ‘Land at East Hill House, East Hill & Sterndale Road, Dartford, Kent: Archaeological Evaluation Report’, unpubl.; Wessex Archaeology, 2006, ‘Excavations at the Former East Hill House, Sterndale Road, Dartford, Kent’, unpubl. client report. 9 Pers. comm., C. Sparey-Green, Canterbury Archaeological Trust. 10 C. Thomas, 1985, Christianity in Roman Britain to AD 500, pp. 231-239; A.S. Esmonde Cleary, 1989, The Ending of Roman Britain, 125.