Canterbury Kiln Site A Roman Pottery Kiln at Canterbury

( 109 ) A ROMAN POTTERY KILN AT CANTERBURY. BY GBAHAM WEBSTER. DURING the month of April, 1939, work was carried out in the garden of the Municipal Offices, Canterbury, for the construction of a deep A.R.P. Control Room, involving the excavation of a hole 35 ft. by 24 ft. and 10 ft. deep. The project was of an urgent nature, and as the excavation started before the design was approved, it was considered imprudent to execute the complete excavation in the first instance. The hole was sunk to the fuU dimensions to a depth of 5 ft. 6 ins. only and a smaUer one made in the centre 20 ft. by 14 ft. to the maximum depth. It is important to reahze this as the Kiln was entirely at the lower level. Subsequently the scheme was amended and the Control Room built at the higher level, i.e. on the first stage. The centre excavation was fitted in and the KUn preserved beneath the structure. The Municipal Buildings were originaUy buUt as a private residence caUed Dagmar House in 1848. A map dated 1822 engraved by James Bingley shows that the site is occupied by a smaller buUding, and the maps of 1800,1 17952 and 17683 show the area clear. EarUer plans are not so precise, but as far as can be judged the site seems to have been unoccupied. The work was carried out by Corporation workmen under the supervision of the City Surveyor, H. M. Enderby, M.I.M. and Cy.E. and, so far as was compatible with the urgent nature of the work, care was taken to preserve the large quantity of pottery found. Any observation and recording of stratification was, however, impossible and the 1 Plan, of the City and Suburbs of Canterbury (Royal Museum). 2 Plan of the Ancient City of Canterbury 1777, corrected 1796 (Royal Museum). 3 Tho. Andrews and Mat. Wren (Royal Museum). 110 A ROMAN POTTERY KILN AT CANTERBURY. H I G H ST. D • NOftMRN Cay WFIU. ERST STATION /J /To F^SHFoRO SCALE: ft toao i'oo o /OCK> $fc A ROMAN" POTTERY KILN AT CANTERBURY 111 importance of the site was not reaUzed untU the Kiln was revealed. Roman pottery was first encountered at a depth of 5 ft. on the North side and consisted chiefly of flagon tops which became a feature of the site. On the completion of the first stage of the excavation nothing structural had been revealed, but there was a large accumulation of broken pottery which occurred chiefly in the North half of the hole and in a rubbish dump of oyster sheUs and sherds as shown in the plan. At this depth the natural undisturbed clay had not been reached. The sinking of the next level showed that the first stage had been taken down to the top of the natural clay, and trenches A and B were revealed. The former was defined by a very sharp vertical cutting on the West side of the hole, and subsequently it was found to foUow the Une shown on the plan. It consisted of dark earth fuU of small pottery sherds. By sinking an iron bar into it from the finished level, the depth was computed at a further 3 ft. Trench B, on the other hand, was only 4 ft. deep below the first stage. It had a rough V-shaped section and appeared to run into trench A as indicated. The brUUant red colouring in the clay first showed the presence of the kiln, but unfortunately the whole of one side was destroyed before the workmen could be stopped and less drastic methods of excavation used. As the remainder of the project could not be carried out at that time, opportunity was given for the remainder of the digging to be carried out by a few members of the Canterbury Archseological Society. A smaU portion of the dome of the kiln showing the wattle and daub construction had been left intact. In the centre of the kiln one foot above the top of the dividing watt was the complete skeleton of a dog. At a point near the firing hole, the workmen had previously .found a complete black pot of coarse ware containing a white powdered substance; a Samian bowl, form 33, stamped PAVLIM., NO. 65 ; a smaU biscuit-coloured pot, No. 57a ; a smaU grey pot; and a highly glazed black carinated vase, No. 37. A foot above these was discovered 112 A ROMAN POTTERY KILN AT CANTERBURY. i i 0 J 3 I S I * hi j < o O £ ui 5 P 2* # z 9 a A ROMAN POTTERY KILN AT CANTERBURY. 113 the fragments of the barrel-shaped vessel, No. 64. This list of pottery which occurred in close proximity contains all the vessels found in anything approaching a complete state. In the firing hole was found a quantity of black ash and charcoal; as would be expected this was confined to the firing hole, the floor being quite clean. The hah0 now excavated was loosely fitted with debris consisting of burnt sherds and daubs evidently from the collapse of the domed roof. The floor was found to be a few inches below the fuU excavation depth and the kiln thus revealed itself as a rough oval in shape, divided down the longer axis by a waU. The two axes were 5 ft. 6 ins. and 3 ft. 9 ins. The firing hole was in line with the waU and its centre a distance of 2 ft. from the end of it. The sides and floor of the kiln and sides and top of the waU had been smoothed with a plastered clay finish which had become hardened with the great heat it must have experienced. Beneath this hard grey-blue skin was the natural clay, red-colour but fading as one penetrated into the undisturbed loam. A very noticeable feature on the side of the kiln was the change of colour at the level of the top of the division watt. There was no sharp Une of demarcation but the distinct rapid change from greyish-blue to pink was clear evidence of the Umit of the fire's influence. No evidence of kiln bar supports could be seen in the waUs, and it seems, therefore, that the central waU took the entire support of the oven floor. The small portion of daub already mentioned which formed part of the domed top was unfortunately destroyed before the kiln had been completely excavated, and the actual joint between the temporary and permanent structures was therefore never made visible. The top foUowed a line of lesser radius than the lower portion and this seems to indicate some form of corbelling. An isolated circular hole, 14 inches in diameter, was found near the firing hole of the kiln. It was 18 inches deep and cut obUquely into the clay; the sides and bottom exhibited signs of strong burning, but its actual use is 114 A ROMAN POTTERY KILN AT CANTERBURY. SECTION V OyST ER. 'BED' rrt i I T R E N C H A 18' -*—1 To N\ONIClpF)L. OFFICES. 3uf8.NT HOLE. PLAN 3CRL.E. f"T tit-l £j U / if JO fCET A ROMAN POTTERY KILN AT CANTERBURY. 115 problematical. Mr. Jessup suggested that it may have been a small ash pit or a depository for fire-irons. The general importance of the kiln is the position of its site in relation to the Roman city. The area now covered by the Dane John gardens, the Gas Works, the Norman Castle and the ground between these has been considered by some authorities to have been outside the walls of the Roman city.1 The evidence for this supposition lies in the number of burials found in this area. The Dane John mound is now considered to have been a Roman barrow,2 and several other burials both of the inhumation and cremation type have been found in the vicinity within the city waUs.3 By Roman law cemeteries and potters' kilns were placed outside the towns, although this was not infaUible, as they have been found within the town areas of Great Chesterford, Essex4 ; Cambridge,5 and Caistor by Norwich.6 The inference is, therefore, that Roman Canterbury during the latter part of the occupation extended its boundaries and this supposition is upheld by the dates of the kiln pottery and also the fragmentary evidence of the burials ; for none of these are later than the third century. Thus would Canterbury claim simUarity with London, for Sir Christopher Wren found the remains of Roman pottery kilns under St. Paul's, the site of which was within the waUs of the later Roman city.7 But there are yet to be discovered third and fourth century buUdings above this earUer evidence. There is plenty of open space in this particular area and it is to be hoped that a more detailed archseological excavation wUl be undertaken to solve this vexed question. In conclusion I should like to express my great indebtedness to Mr. R. F. Jessup, F.S.A., whose assistance has given strength and direction to an amateur's faltering steps. 1 John Brent, E.S.A., Canterbury in the Olden Time. 2 Victoria County History, Kent, III, p. 77. 0 Arch. Cant., IV, p. 28. *, B Pox, Arch. Camb. Begion, p. 211. 0 Kendrick and Hawkes, Archaeology of England and Wales 1914-31, p. 257. ' Soman London (R.C.H.M.), pp. 30, 32, 48, 140. 116 A ROMAN POTTERY KILN AT CANTERBURY. OBJECTS DISCOVERED OTHER THAN- POTTERY. Coins (all found in the upper layers): 1. Antoninianus. Radiate erown, indecipherable. 2. „ Tetricus the Younger, A.D. 270-273. 3. AE 4. Gratian, A.D. 375. A fragment of iron resembling a key. 3 small pieces of pink mortar showing traces of red and green colour. A flint pestle.