Interim Reports on Recent Work carried out by the Canterbury Archaeological Trust

Interim reports on recent work carried out by the Canterbury archaeological trust

canterbury city sites

1. Outer Court, Archbishop’s Palace (TR 1502 5803)

In 2001, three evaluation trenches were cut within the Outer Court of the Archbishop’s Palace and in 2003 one of these trenches was revisited and two new trenches were cut. Possible Roman soils were identified in all three trenches, in one with an associated charcoal-filled feature. These levels were overlain by soil of possible Anglo-Saxon date and banded gravel in two of the trenches might represent Lanfranc’s levelling of the Anglo-Saxon cathedral or earlier build-ups (and maybe a sunken-floored building), capped by a Lanfranc surface. Two horizons were dated to the twelfth century and another possibly to the early thirteenth. Part of the Great Kitchen’s east wall, a Dissolution horizon and the footings of a long boundary wall, were recorded, together with a footing for a wall which probably bounded the bowling green located here in the seventeenth century and a massive nineteenth-century pit that could possibly relate to the use of the yard by Kent Fire Brigade who acquired the site at that time.

2. Canterbury Cathedral cloisters (TR 15043 57945)

A small evaluation trench was cut in the south-west corner of the Great Cloister in December 2003 as part of works to improve disabled access to the cathedral. Excavation was limited to Georgian and later contexts, but revealed significant earlier material. A spread of mortared flints, perhaps a floor base, was associated with a substantial north-east to south-west Roman wall and a dark loam sequence, abutting and partially over the wall, was capped by a very light metalling. A massive footing overlying the Roman wall was almost certainly part of a north-western twin to the hexagonal south-western tower of the late Anglo-Saxon cathedral.¹

3. No. 62 Burgate (TR 15168 57709)

During August 2003 two small evaluation trenches were excavated in the rear garden of the above property. The earliest remains exposed were of probable early medieval date in Trench 1. These consisted of a potential hearth sealed by a flint cobbled surface, and overlain by a later occupation deposit. A complex of intercutting pits containing pottery of medieval date (c.1050-1250) cut through this occupation deposit, and a comparable series of pits exposed in the base of Trench 2 were of a contemporary date. Sealing the pits in both trenches was a thick deposit of garden soil containing pottery dated to between c.1250 and 1350.

Parts of a wall foundation, constructed of rammed gravel and clay, cut through the garden soils. It is probable that this wall, aligned north-east to south-west, represented part of a substantial medieval building fronting Burgate Lane, the foundation trench measuring 1.3m wide by 1.02m deep. An internal clay floor was exposed on the eastern side of this wall foundation in Trench 1, and the remnants of a flint and chalk wall base, sealed by a spread of chalk, flint and mortar demolition rubble, were recorded in Trench 2. Both trenches had a second horizon of garden soils, presumably formed against the exterior face of the building, with pottery dating to between 1475 and 1550.

The cutting of innumerable pits characterised the later post-medieval archaeology in Trench 1. The function of these pits was not ascertained, but they clearly represented a concentration of activity either for dom-estic rubbish disposal, horticultural digging or some industrial process. In Trench 2 a flint and chalk wall, aligned east-west appeared to demarcate a boundary between this area of pit cutting and a potential new property to the north. The remnants of a robbed-out wall and clay floor represented a structure abutting against the northern face of this boundary wall. Demolition debris attributed to the dismantling of this structure was dated to 1475 to 1550, with the boundary being retained until c.1650-1750 when garden soils were formed over the partly dismantled boundary wall.

The present garden is enclosed by stone walls to the south and west, formed of re-used medieval masonry and capped by decorative brick work, probably original to the founding of the property in c.1725.

4. Northgate Garage (TR 15296 58315)

Five evaluation trenches with a total area of 34.5m² were excavated in June and July 2003 and archaeological remains were exposed in all of them. Prehistoric activity² was represented by a single sherd of pottery recovered from a soil horizon immediately above the natural subsoil in Trench 4 and the presence of Roman pottery in Trenches 2 and 5 indicated that Roman features probably exist within the limits of the site. The Northgate road was a major thoroughfare into Canterbury during the Roman period and evidence for extra-mural Roman activity, including quarry pits, refuse pits, and a boundary ditch were excavated below St Gregory’s Priory³ whilst evidence for a cremation burial was identified by Pilbrow between St John’s Place and Northgate.⁴

One sherd of Anglo-Saxon pottery was recovered from Trench 1, indicating that Anglo-Saxon activity identified during the excavations at St Gregory’s Priory, extended eastwards, perhaps forming a ribbon development along the line of the old Roman road towards the settlement at Fordwich.⁵

The present site of Northgate Garage is situated within the former northern precinct of St Gregory’s Priory. Evidence for medieval flint gravel metalling was exposed in Trenches 1, 2 and 4, and this possibly represents an extensive courtyard area. A gravel wall foundation, aligned north-west to south-east potentially represented a boundary wall separating this northern courtyard from the main claustral complex to the south.

Evidence for two buildings was recorded to the north of this courtyard. That identified in Trench 4 consisted of a gravel wall foundation and robbed out chalk and flint wall, abutted to the north by an internal mortar floor consolidation, to the south by the flint gravel courtyard and to the west by external garden soils. The building remains exposed in Trench 5 consisted of a chalk and flint dwarf wall, capped by horizontally laid tiles, and abutted to the north by internal clay flooring. It was uncertain whether the building exposed in Trench 5 formed part of the priory service buildings, or was part of later housing known to have been built against the precinct boundary, fronting Northgate.

No evidence for structural remains or courtyard metalling was exposed in the northernmost trench, Trench 3. Instead, a series of rubbish pits and a soil horizon indicated the presence of gardens fronting the precinct’s northern boundary, presumably providing fresh produce to the priory kitchen. Significantly, an absence of rubbish pits noted during the excavations of the priory complex to the south would suggest that waste disposal was restricted to the service areas in the north.

Following the dissolution of St Gregory’s Priory in 1537, the precinct grounds were levelled and turned over to gardens. This was confirmed in all five trenches where a series of soil horizons overlay the earlier medieval features. The use of the site as gardens continued until the nineteenth century when the entire area was reorganised, the present road network laid out and new housing built. Following war damage many of these buildings were demolished and the area redeveloped between 1958 and 1961.

5. Market Way (TR 1501 5885)

During December 2003 and February 2004 excavation took place on land at the former cattle auction yard prior to redevelopment for housing. The site is located to the north of Canterbury, off St Stephen’s Road, on gently sloping ground between the River Stour to the south-east and the foot of the Blean to the north-west. The site is already known for its large Roman tile kiln and two pottery kilns, discovered during the construction of the cattle market between 1953 and 1954.⁶ Earlier observations of Roman tile were made during the construction of an air raid shelter at on the east side of Market Way, and in the garden of Beverley House, fronting St Stephen’s Road to the west.⁷ More recent work had identified evidence of Roman tile adjacent to Beverley House at No. 106 St Stephen’s Road (Richard Cross, pers. comm.), confirming an emerging pattern of extensive extra-mural industrial activity focused between the intersection of St Stephen’s Road and Market Way.

Excavation of an adjacent site to the east between 1998 and 1999 exposed further Roman remains, including an enclosure ditch and inhumation burial, but significantly no activity contemporary with the industrial phase was identified.⁸ The burial was situated within the enclosure and was contained within a wooden coffin, furnished with two pottery vessels, and a large fragment of brick laid beside the head. Both the enclosure and burial were attributed to the early third century and post-dated the active life of the kilns. The greater number of features exposed were of Anglo-Saxon date, including at least one sunken-floored structure and a series of cess and refuse pits. An enclosure, perhaps forming an animal pen, was also dated to the Anglo-Saxon period, and along with evidence of butchered animal bone, indicated that animal husbandry had been active on this site long before the recent cattle market.

An assemblage of residual prehistoric worked flint and pottery was recovered during the recent work, comparable to material collected during the 1998 and 1999 excavations. Both assemblages indicate the presence of Neolithic, Bronze-Age and late Iron-Age activity within the area, and on-site settlement was confirmed by the identification of a pit containing Neolithic or Early Bronze-Age pottery.

However, the largest concentration of features exposed was of Roman date, a number of which could be directly equated with the adjacent tile kiln. These included two discrete areas of intercutting quarry pits excavated through the natural Head Brickearth, concentrated at the south-eastern part of the site. The backfills of these quarry pits included large quantities of waste tile and brick, in addition to small quantities of pottery dated to the mid first to early third century. The dating of this backfill appears contemporary with the levelling of the abandoned kilns, and it is certain that these quarries represent at least one source of clay for the production of tile.

Other Roman features included a series of interconnected ditches extending across the site, and adjoining the enclosure ditch excavated in 1998 and 1999. These provide our best evidence so far of a Roman field system on the edge of Canterbury. Dating of individual ditch segments indicate that the field system might well have originated in the later Iron Age, with pottery from the ditch backfills including pre-conquest ‘Belgic’ wares. However, the field system continued to be utilised immediately prior to the tile production in the mid first century (evident by one ditch segment being truncated by quarry pits and another sealed by later tile and brick waste) and following their abandonment and levelling by the early third century. A number of elements suggest internal subdivisions existed within the enclosed fields, in addition to a possible track way, defined by two parallel gullies, leading to the south-east.

A Roman inhumation burial was cut into the terminal end of one of these internal subdivisions, south-west of the track way. This inhumation, located some 60m east of the burial excavated during 1998 and 1999, was of an adult male, aged between 30 and 40 years, laid out in an extended position with arms crossed over the chest and wearing hob-nailed boots. Unlike the previous burial no evidence for coffin fittings were identified, the body being placed directly into the shallow sub-rectangular grave cut, facing south-south-east. However, an inscribed funerary plaque was laid face down over the top of the skull. This plaque forms the first complete Roman inscription to be recovered from Canterbury. Only fragments of three other inscribed plaques have been found until now, and the discovery at Market Way is of national importance. There appears to be three lines of text on the plaque, the first two of which probably contain the name of the deceased. At present these cannot be determined with accuracy. The third line does contain part of the word PIENTISSIME and probably part of the word VIXIT meaning ‘he led a blameless life’. Considering the placing of this plaque, it is probable that it had been re-used from an earlier grave.

Whilst there is no formal Roman cemetery recorded in this part of extra-mural Canterbury, evidence for both inhumation and cremation burial along North Lane suggests an ad hoc and dispersed pattern of interment was being undertaken in this area. Such burials would have been located alongside a known Roman road running from St Dunstan’s Street along North Lane,⁹ possibly extending as far as the present site, and continuing north-eastwards on the same alignment to the Roman settlement excavated at Shelford Farm, Broad Oak.¹⁰ This road would originally have served both the Market Way site, and other industrial units and settlements along the northern side of the River Stour.

Although very little material dating to the Anglo-Saxon period was recovered during the excavations, the remnants of a nucleated settlement, formed of a further six sunken-floored structures and a series or refuse and cess pits, was represented. The sunken-floored structures were all rectangular in shape and varied between a short single-post structure 2.3m long by 1.5m wide, to more typical two-post structures, up to 3.09m long by 2.13m wide, and a larger three-post structure, between 4.80m long by 2.19m wide. The distribution of these structures, with regular spacing and parallel alignments, indicated a planned settlement morphology. The small quantity of pottery recovered, suggests occupation between c.700-850. Pottery from the 1998 and 1999 excavation indicated a second phase of activity between c.850 and 1000. Whilst there is little evidence to indicate the function of this settlement, quantities of bone, charred plant remains and shellfish recovered from the backfilled structures and refuse pits point towards primarily domestic activity within a mixed agricultural economy. However, small quantities of metalworking waste, including iron slag and hammer scale were also recovered.

6. Simmonds Road (TR 1424 5708)

In March 2003 a small-scale evaluation was carried out on a small plot of land on the south side of Simmonds Road, Wincheap, adjacent to the principal Roman road linking Durovernum Cantiacorum and the fort of Portus Lemanis and in an area potentially part of an extra-mural cemetery.¹¹ Prior to excavation, a member of the public made a chance find of a complete Roman narrow-necked flask in the rear garden of the property adjoining the present site. The flask, in fine Upchurch-type ware, was found lying on the ground surface and had clearly been removed from its original position.

During the evaluation two small trenches, 12.80m and 3m long, were ex-cavated. At the base of the larger trench, at a depth of 2m below the existing ground surface was a layer of light brown silty clay (4) at least 0.50m thick. Within this deposit two complete ceramic vessels were discovered. They were positioned close together, one on its side the other lying nearly upright against the first. One vessel has been provisionally identified as a beaker of probable Upchurch-type dated to the late second to early third century ad. The other was a double-handled vessel of an unusual form. Bone fragments were found adjacent to the vessels; one tibia and part of a shaft were identified as human. The remains could not be sexed but measurements of the bones suggested that they belonged to an 18 month old baby. Two fragments of animal bone were also found with the human remains. None of the bone was articulated and was probably disturbed in antiquity. The same light brown silty clay was recorded in the base of the smaller trench, but was not excavated. Sealing this deposit, in both trenches, was a homogenous layer of dark grey silty loam 0.75m thick. Pottery sherds retrieved from this layer also dated to the Roman period. Modern post-medieval garden soils and rubble capped the Roman sequence.

The combined thickness of the Roman deposits, a minimum of 1.25m, is uncommonly deep for an extra-mural location. It is suggested that they represent deposits associated with a Roman cemetery. It is possible that the human bone represents an earlier phase of burial and the ceramic vessels were associated with a later burial, which might account for the disturbed nature of the bone remains. Taking into account the nearby chance find, the combined evidence confirms the presence of a Roman cemetery in the near vicinity.

sites outside canterbury

7. Ford Reservoir, Herne Bay (TR 2017 6610) centred

Between early December 2003 and late January 2004 a programme of topsoil stripping and subsequent mapping was carried out on an area of just over 2ha (12,600m²) situated a few hundred metres north of Ford at an elevation of about 35m od. The site lay in open arable land of relatively flat aspect, though immediately to the south the land dips sharply into a valley. The underlying geology is mainly Head Gravel. The area is quite rich in archaeological sites, with perhaps the most important being the multi-period settlement near Highstead,¹² just over a kilometre to the east. Apart from the probable course of the Canterbury to Reculver Roman road, which is situated less than 100m to the east of the reservoir site, aerial photographs show cropmarks, some delineating a rectangular or ‘carded’ enclosure, immediately to the west.

Sample excavation was then carried out between 2 and 19 February. This was of very limited scope in an area which was not to be substantially disturbed, but a more extensive programme was conducted on the reservoir site. Over half of the site compound area proved to have been previously quarried, probably during the earlier twentieth century. However, a number of significant features survived, though the shallowness of the features in some areas did suggest a degree of past truncation, possibly the result of quarrying.

The earliest features were of prehistoric, probably Late Bronze or Early Iron-Age date and consisted of at least one heavily truncated urned cremation burial and possibly four others without pottery vessels, all located on the eastern side of the site compound area. A rectangular shallow pit on the southern boundary of the reservoir site also yielded a significant quantity of prehistoric flint-tempered sherds, while a number of other scattered features, including short lengths of shallow gullies, post-holes and a pit packed with burnt flint, although all devoid of datable artefactual evidence, may also relate to this period of activity.

Two ditches, partially excavated in the extreme eastern corner of the site compound area, yielded a significant corpus of pottery sherds which firmly date them both to the Roman period. One of the ditches undoubtedly represents part of a rectangular enclosure, although the full extent of both ditches was masked by deposits of colluvium that had accumulated in a localized dip in this part of the field.

Apart from a few modern agricultural disturbances, the remaining features consisted of a complex system of near parallel or perpendicularly aligned ditches. The fills of these, although extensively sampled, proved to be virtually sterile, but a small quantity of peg tile and a few sherds of later medieval pottery were recovered. A further clue to the date and function of these features is supplied by the disposition of one of the main north-south ditches which precisely aligns with an extant field boundary to the north of Ford Lane. This suggests that the features represent a fragment of a late medieval or early post-medieval field system comprising ditched boundaries, which had disappeared from the landscape by the mid nineteenth century, as none of the individual fields is shown on the First Edition Ordnance Survey.

Although the project failed to uncover any extensive or well-preserved settlement evidence, the prehistoric remains, particularly the cremation burials, are strong indicators of an occupation site and it is quite possible that a prehistoric settlement once existed within the site boundaries but has been largely removed by quarrying. Further, the Roman evidence clearly indicates that a potentially important enclosed Roman site survives to the immediate west.

8. Underdown Lane, Eddington (TR 1777 6966)

In October 2003 a number of features thought to represent Early to Middle Iron-Age round-houses, together with deposits of medieval date were revealed during a ‘strip and map’ exercise on land adjacent to the old Thanet Way at Eddington, prior to housing development. As a consequence of these findings a full excavation was begun on the site in November and continued until March 2004.

One of the earliest features on the site was a large ditch defining Enclosure 1. Amongst the features recorded within the enclosure were a number of pits and a shallow curving gully possibly representing a small hut (Round-house 7). Round-house 1, about 5m south of the enclosure, was considered to be contemporaneous because of its relationship to an outer boundary ditch.

Three other round-houses (nos 2-4) were grouped 35-40m south-west of Round-house 1. Entrance ways punctuated the gullies of two of the structures, facing south and north-west respectively. No structural elements, such as post-holes, floors or hearths were observed within the enclosed areas, nor was there any indication of post settings within the gullies themselves.

Two short sections of curving gully observed within Round-house 4 possibly represented less well preserved round-houses (Round-houses 5 and 6). The gully of Round-house 5 clearly predated that of Round-house 4 and it is tempting to suggest that the two smaller structures represent an earlier phase of occupation. A further possible round-house (Round-house 8) was located 25m east of the entrance to Enclosure 1.

A curving ditch (11) extending from the north edge of the site and midway between Round-house 8 and Enclosure 1, might be the remains of a penannular enclosure, about 10m in diameter, with a north-west facing causeway. There were a number of other linear and curvilinear ditches. The relationship of these to Enclosure 1 and to the round houses is ambiguous. However, two ditches clearly post-dated the round houses (Ditches 8 and 15) and one (Ditch 10) post-dated the ditch of Enclosure 1 and from this some phasing by association can be achieved. Functionally the ditches can be suggested to form enclosures and/or field boundaries.

Scattered amongst these ditches and round-houses were many small post-holes, none of which formed any obvious structures, fence lines or other discernable patterns, though clearly some were related. Pits of varying size and shape were also scattered across the site. Again it is not easy to determine any pattern to these and the functions are generally ambiguous.

A suspected cremation lay 20m south of the causeway into Enclosure 1 and 20m east of Round-house 1. It appears to have been an isolated burial and was not accompanied by any grave goods or incidental finds.

A layer of hillwash (up to 0.40m thick) separated the Iron-Age features from a number of ditches and gullies, largely confined to the south-west corner of the site. Two parallel gullies, seemingly marking the limit of medieval activity, extended from the west edge of excavation on a broadly south-east alignment for c.40m before either terminating or becoming untraceable. South of the gullies was a complex sequence of interleaved deposits and pits more akin to urban stratification, consisting of dumped occupation material, domestic waste and subsoil. Time and budgetary constraints meant that this horizon was removed by machine, leaving only a handful of rubbish pits cutting the natural London Clay to be excavated by hand. Three short sections of ditch were observed extending for 7-10m from the west section, south of the two parallel gullies. This medieval activity seems to represent the northern extent of a farmstead or settlement located beyond the area of investigation. The pottery retrieved from the excavated pits dated to the later thirteenth and fourteenth century.

9. King’s Tree, Stodmarsh Road, Fordwich (TR 1860 5897)

Excavation in advance of a house extension revealed two parallel ditches containing early Roman pottery and the remains of seven cremation burials, some with accompanying pottery vessels intact, others truncated or disturbed. The pottery all dated between the early first and late second century. An early Roman cremation burial accompanied by two vessels had previously been found on the other side of the property.¹³

10. Westwood Cross, Broadstairs (TR 3630 6760)

Evaluation on the site of the former Haine Hospital revealed evidence for Late Bronze-Age and Early Iron-Age activity in the area and consequent excavation took place over the winter of 2003-4. The principal discovery was a Bronze-Age enclosure and field system.

The field system was represented by a series of ditches and gullies. No dating evidence was recovered, but the field system did appear to pre-date the more substantial ditches of the enclosure, which was dated by pottery to the mid to late Bronze Age (c. 1500-900 bc). No internal features survived, but the presence of quantities of mussel shell, animal bone and pottery within the ditches of the enclosure would seem to suggest that it formed part of a settlement site and the substantial size and depths of the ditches might suggest a defensive purpose.

Beyond the prehistoric period there was scant evidence for use of the site until recent times. Romano-British activity was limited to the presence of three pieces of tile; no cut archaeological features of this date were identified. Early medieval pottery, retrieved from amongst the fill of a large quarry pit, is suggestive of settlement nearby.

11. Bradstow School, Broadstairs (TR 3949 6710)

In May 2003 an archaeological evaluation was carried out in the grounds of Bradstow School (formerly Valetta House), where finds of both Bronze-Age and Anglo-Saxon date had been made in the past.¹⁴ In 1910 between nineteen and twenty-one inhumation burials were excavated, at least two of which were crouched and probably of Bronze-Age date. In 1911 further work revealed a pair of concentric circular ditches representing the remains of a ploughed out Bronze-Age barrow. A further nine prehistoric inhumation burials and nine Anglo-Saxon inhumation burials were also recorded. Between 1970 and 1974 the British Museum investigated the site and well over one hundred Anglo-Saxon burials were recorded.¹⁵

Two areas were investigated in the recent work. Five trenches (1-5) were cut within the footprint of a proposed building annex and two (6-7) near the entrance of a new car park. Nothing definitely relating to earlier finds on the site was recorded in the first five trenches, but Trenches 6 and 7 were more productive. In Trench 6 shallow silty patches above the natural chalk were suggestive of plough marks and if this interpretation is correct, would account for the erosion of the Bronze-Age barrow mounds and have an implication for any Anglo-Saxon graves with above ground structural elements. Trench 7 contained two inhumation burials, both in alignment with the majority of the Anglo-Saxon burials recorded in the 1970s and seemingly with the same orientation. No grave goods were noted.

12. Ringlemere Farm, Woodnesborough (TR 2939 5698)

In the autumn of 2003 a fourth area, centred on the Bronze-Age barrow and find spot of the ‘Ringlemere gold cup’, was investigated in conjunction with the British Museum. Despite the previous casual finds of Anglo-Saxon metalwork and the recovery in 2002 of a complete sixth-century pottery vessel set into the outer barrow mound, the discovery of an Anglo-Saxon sunken hut was an unexpected find and suggests the possibility of a more extensive settlement site.

Investigation of the structure of the barrow showed that the enclosing ditch was broken by a causeway on the north side. The site might therefore represent something rather more complex than a large round barrow. The make up of the mound contained significant quantities of residual prehistoric pottery and flintwork, largely derived from a late Neolithic occupation site, evidence for which was preserved below the base of the mound. A radiocarbon date of 2890-2600 Cal bc was obtained from charcoal in a pre-barrow pit.

Geophysical survey of adjacent areas has indicated that the main mound at Ringlemere was the focal point of a more extensive group of prehistoric ceremonial circles, now largely invisible on the surface due to centuries of plough erosion.

13. No. 6 The Butchery, Sandwich (TR 3304 1589)

Three small trenches (A, B and C), excavated in October 2003 to evaluate a plot of land against what is presumed to be one of the earliest roads in Sandwich, uncovered evidence for early medieval structures. In Trench C this took the form of an earthen floor, possibly with traces of a hearth, and in Trench A more extensive traces were uncovered and a series of clay floors, areas of scorching, occupation deposits and a probable timber beam-slot was recorded. Whether the remains related to the same building (the trenches were 7m apart) could not be established. The earliest pottery from the site dated to c.1170-1300, and was recovered from beneath the earthen floor in Trench C. Pottery dating to 1175-1250 was found amongst the clay floors in Trench A. Two pits, containing pottery of c.1750-1825, cut these floors; all the deposits above the floors appeared to be disturbed garden soils.

14. Old Park, Whitfield (TR 304 441)

In August 2003 twenty-two evaluation trenches were investigated in advance of housing development with the result that an area of Romano-British activity and an isolated prehistoric pit were identified. The pit was exposed close to Melbourne Avenue and measured at least 4.40m by 2m and reached a maximum depth of 0.96m. The clay filling contained calcined flints, carbon specks, several struck flint flakes and a sherd of prehistoric flint-tempered pottery, probably of Bronze-Age date. No other prehistoric features were discovered in the area, but a small surface collection of prehistoric struck flints was recovered during the course of the evaluation trenching.

Romano-British activity was represented by pits containing pottery of late first- and second-century date. One of the pits contained the remains of an amphora and other vessels, apparently relating to a cremation burial. These features may be associated with a Romano-British farmstead. Contemporary occupation has been recorded on the opposite side of Melbourne Avenue (now Honeywood Road), some 330m to the north-west.¹⁶

15. Coombe House, Shepherdswell (TR 2637 4808)

A prehistoric gully was discovered during evaluation trenching in January 2004 prior to the construction of new housing and further sections were recorded during a watching brief during subsequent building work. The line of the gully ran roughly east-west across the site and was traced for a total distance of 69m. It continued beyond the site boundaries in both directions. Where it was best preserved, at the western end, the gully showed evidence for recutting. A quantity of calcined flints and twenty-one sherds of flint-tempered pottery dating to the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age (c.900-600 bc) were retrieved.

The area investigated is on the upper slopes of a north-west facing chalk ridge at an elevation of between 117-119m above od. It would seem that the gully marks the line of a well-established, cross-ridge boundary. No associated features were recorded; any contemporary settlement must have lain beyond the limits of the present site. Local topography would suggest that such an occupation site might be been situated further to the south-east either on the summit of the ridge, or on the south facing slopes below Mill Lane.

16. St Mary’s Church, Chilham (TR 0688 5365)

A watching brief maintained during the building of an extension between the south transept and the porch in September 2002, revealed some surprising results. A church is recorded at Chilham in the Domesday Survey, but later medieval building programmes have removed evidence for any early structures so that the earliest parts of the present church are the north and south transepts, conventionally dated to between 1280 and 1320. However, evidence gleaned from the recent work suggests that the south transept and also the porch might have been constructed up to 100 years later than previously thought.

A number of graves were exposed in the churchyard during the course of the work, five of which had been disturbed by the building of either the south transept or the porch. That beneath the porch contained a sherd of German Siegburg stoneware tankard dated to between 1575-1625 and this sherd together with constructional details noted at the junction of the east wall of the porch and the south aisle wall, suggest that the porch might have been constructed up to 100 years later than previously thought. Similarly, a sherd of pottery, dated between c.1475-1575, was found in a grave cut by the foundation of the south transept. A 1280-1320 construction date for the transept is therefore also cast into doubt. Again the foundations for the transept were found to finish flush with that of the south aisle, suggesting that it was built after the early fifteenth-century south aisle.

17. St Michael and All Angels Church, Kingsnorth (TR 0062 3925)

An evaluation was undertaken in the churchyard on the north side of the chancel between October and December 2003, to assess the survival of the remains of a medieval chantry chapel demolished in 1763. It was found that the foundations had been completely removed and examination of the robber trenches revealed that they had cut through a series of earlier graves. The presence of these earlier graves would suggest that the present church sits near or over the site of an earlier structure.

A small area was also opened to examine the remains of the tomb of William Parker, perhaps the founder of the chantry chapel. The original table tomb would have been situated against the north wall of the chapel; all that survives now is an incised stone slab supported by two rows of roughly-hewn Ragstone blocks. A number of other large ledger slabs, formerly sited in the chapel, were also recorded.

18. Millbank Place, Ashford (TR 0010 4035)

Seven evaluation trenches were excavated on the site of a former retirement home in September 2003 in an area of high archaeological potential. Westhawk Farm, the site of an important Romano-British settlement is c.170m to the south-east and the Iron-Age settlement excavated at Brisley Farm is situated c.700m to the west.

Significant archaeological remains survived in two trenches (3 and 4). In Trench 3, a pit, a ditch and a gully were tentatively dated (by pottery and a copper alloy brooch) to the Late Iron-Age/Early Roman ‘Belgic’ period (c.100 bc-ad 50). These features also contained charcoal, burnt bone and charred cereal grains, suggesting domestic settlement in the vicinity. In another of the trenches a row of five or six grave-like features was partly exposed. Their north-south alignment might suggest a pre-Christian cemetery and although there was no spatial association with the features in Trench 3, the burnt bone fragments and the copper alloy brooch could be associated with funerary activity.

The features from Trench 3 date to the same period as the earliest settlement at Westhawk Farm, implying that the Late Iron-Age settlement there could have extended northwards to the Millbank Place site. Whether the burials represent evidence for an outlying cemetery to the Westhawk settlement is debatable. The burials at Westhawk Farm, in the main, were Roman and had an east-west alignment.

endnotes

¹ K. Blockley, M. Sparks and T. Tatton-Brown, Canterbury Cathedral Nave. Archaeology, History and Architecture, Archaeology of Canterbury New Series No. 1, 1997.

² Some evidence for prehistoric activity in the area was recorded during the excavations at St Gregory’s Priory; M. Hicks and A. Hicks, St Gregory’s Priory, Northgate, Canterbury, Excavations 1998-1991, Archaeology of Canterbury New Series No. 2, 2001, 381.

³ Ibid.

⁴ J. Pilbrow, ‘Discoveries made during excavations at Canterbury in 1868’, Archaeo-logia, xliii (1871), 151-164.

⁵ Ibid.

⁶ F. Jenkins, ‘A Roman tilery and two pottery kilns at Durovernum (Canterbury)’, The Antiquaries Journal, xxxvi (1956), 40-56.

⁷ Ibid.

⁸ Archaeologia Cantiana, cxxii (2002), 343; J. Rady, ‘Market Way’, Canterbury’s Arch-aeology, 1998-1999, 4-7.

⁹ J. Rady, ‘Evaluations and excavations at North Lane, Canterbury, 1993 and 1996’, unpublished CAT archive report.

¹⁰ D. Boden, ‘Shelford Farm Estate, Broad Oak’, Canterbury’s Archaeology 2001-2002, 24-26.

¹¹ P. Bennett, ‘The Roman Topography of Canterbury’, Archaeologia Cantiana, c (1984), 47-56.

¹² P. Bennett, P. Couldrey and N. Macpherson-Grant, Excavations at Highstead near Chislet, Kent, forthcoming.

¹³ F. Jenkins, ‘A Pre-Roman Settlement near Fordwich’, in K.M. McIntosh, Fordwich, the Lost Port, Sturry (1975), 119-22.

¹⁴ H. Hurd, Some notes on recent archaeological discoveries at Broadstairs (Broadstairs, 1913); A. Meaney, A gazetteer of early Anglo-Saxon burial sites (London, 1964); L. Webster and J. Cherry, ‘Medieval Britain in 1971’, Medieval Archaeology, 16 (1972), 156.

¹⁵ H. Härke, Angeläschsische waffengräber des 5 bis 7 jahrhunderts (Köln, 1992), 252; A. Richardson, ‘Anglo-Saxon cemeteries in Kent’, British Archaeological Reports (forthcoming); Webster and Cherry, op. cit. (see note 14), 56; D. Birch, P. Boakes, S. Elworthy, C. Holins and D. Perkins, The gateway island, archaeological discoveries in the Isle of Thanet; 1630-1987 (1987), 44-45. For a short discussion on the earlier findings, see Canterbury’s Archaeology 28 (2003-2004), 19-21.

¹⁶ S. Pratt, ‘Honeywood Road, Whitfield (Kent): Archaeological Evaluation’, unpublished archive report, 1998; K. Parfitt, ‘Report on a Watching brief conducted at the new Dover Ship’s Stores building, Honeywood Road, Whitfield’; unpublished archive report, 1999.