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WesrriELO ROMAH ROADS
RIOOEUAYS
ROMAN IRONWORKS X
ESTUARIES
•^HASTINGS SCALE or Allies
PLATE I. ROMAN ROADS IN WEST KENT.
( 29 )
ROMAN ROADS IN WEST KENT.
BY IVAN D. MARGARY, F.S.A.
THE Wealden area of West Kent is intersected by a group of Roman
roads which, although well known in certain parts and even marked
upon the Ordnance Survey maps for many years, have, nevertheless,
received very little attention from archaeologists. Scarcely any
reference to them can be found in the hterature, save for a recent
article in the Roman section of the Victoria County History of Kent,
and no attempt at a detailed survey of them seems ever to have been
made.
There are three main routes to be considered :
I. Rochester—Maidstone—Hemsted—Bodiam—Hastings.
II. Maidstone—Kingsnorth—Lympne.
III. Hemsted—Tenterden—Ashford—Canterbury.
Of these, the first was laid out on a course nearly due north—south,
with the obvious intention of bridging the Wealden area in a manner
exactly similar to the London—Lewes, London—Brighton and London
—Chichester roads farther to the west. In this case, however, being
much farther to the east, the road connected with WatUng Street at
Rochester for its northern terminus, whilst its southern destination was
clearly to be the iron-working region that lay inland from Hastings.
Moreover, this road was near enough to the important settled area of
East Kent for the need of connecting branches to it to be felt, and it
was this which led to the provision of the other two roads, one from
Maidstone to the south-east, the other from Hemsted (the most southerly
point that was conveniently accessible from the east) to the north-east
and Canterbury. Thus the three roads formed a triangular network
giving inter-communication between the Rochester—Maidstone area
in the north, East Kent, and the Wealden iron district in the south.
THE ALIGNMENTS.
Considerable lengths of aU these roads were evidently laid out upon
properly surveyed ahgnments, selected with the usual care and eye for
country that is such a striking feature of Roman road construction,
but the ground in the Weald is often difficult, necessitating much local
modification of the main ahgnments, whUst in some parts the definite
remains show quite plainly that rigid straightness was not insisted
upon. It may weU be, too, that the date of these roads is relatively
late and their purpose entirely commercial, circumstances that would
also lead to a less rigid appUcation of constructional rules.
30 ROMAN ROADS IN WEST KENT.
I. ROCHESTER—MAIDSTONE—HASTINGS.
The following aUgnments are clearly shown :
(1) Rochester—Horsted.
(2) Horsted—Bridgewood Gate.
(3) Bridgewood Gate—North Downs escarpment.
(4) Downs foot—Maidstone North.
(5) Maidstone North—Mangravet Wood.
(6) Mangravet Wood—Amber Green.
(7) Amber Green—Staplehurst (Iden Bridge).
(8) Staplehurst (Iden Bridge)—Hemsted Park.
(9) Numerous short aUgnments onwards to suit the ground.
Of these, (1) and (2) form very nearly a continuous Une, only turning
very sUghtly at Horsted to foUow the ridge there, and (4) and (5) are
much the same, (3) being a short Unking aUgnment along the edge of
the steep Downs escarpment to the chosen point of descent. Thus far
the intention is clearly to provide a direct north—south route. Next,
with (6) we have a distinct turn to the south-east, and, since the point
where Route I descends the greensand escarpment towards Staplehurst
is not more convenient than a similar point farther west, near Boughton
Monohelsea, would have been, it seems likely that (6) was definitely
planned that way to lead to a fork for Routes I and II at Amber Green.
With (7), the longest and most obviously Roman of aU the aUgnments
on this route, we resume the southward direction, pointing
straight at the area of the Sussex ironworks. This is the last aUgnment
that the road closely foUows, for, although (8) is indicated by the general
layout of the remains, it was greatly modified to suit the ground which
becomes increasingly difficult beyond Sissinghurst. Indeed, it would
be almost impossible to lay a straight route through this country of
deep gills and steep-sided ridges, and short straights along such ridges
as were available was the obvious method to be followed.
II. MAIDSTONE—KINGSNORTH—LYMPNE.
From the fork at Amber Green, one main aUgnment seems to have
been laid, from the greensand escarpment at Sutton Valence to the
beginning of the coastal range of hiUs at Aldington, south-east of
Ashford, though it was locaUy modified in some hilly areas, as near
Pluckley. On reaching the coastal hills the road was laid out in short
alignments to follow the ridge.
III. HEMSTED—TENTERDEN—ASHFORD—CANTERBURY.
Two major alignments are traceable here :
(1) Tenterden, St. Michael's Church—Ashford, Stanhope
School.
(2) Ashford—Godmersham Downs.
ROMAN ROADS IN WEST KENT
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32 ROMAN ROADS IN WEST KENT.
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42 ROMAN ROADS IN WEST KENT.
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ROMAN ROADS IN WEST KENT. 43
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44 ROMAN ROADS IN WEST KENT.
glaring example of this occurs to the south of Sandhurst rectory, where
they extended the Une of the derehct lane as a straight Une pointing
towards Bodiam ; this Une actuaUy runs across a quite impossible slope
upon a steep hiUside, and, moreover, completely ignores a visible
terraceway curving round the hiUside which is the obvious continuation
of the road. Again, north of Sandhurst, they extended the alignment
through Sponden too far, thus ignoring the obvious continuation
along Sponden Road which fits in weU with the known length towards
Sandhurst, whereas the two aUgnments as marked upon Kent Sheet
78 SE. are obviously incompatible with one another.
But their worst and most misleading effort was at Kingsnorth on
Route III, where they extended the aUgnment for 1,500 yards east of
Stubb Cross, a purely imaginary length which has misled everyone as
to the real continuation of the road towards Canterbury. In this case,
too, there was, as we shaU see, abundant evidence of the metaUing
along an obvious Une of hedgerows a Uttle to the west of their hne,
the road is known to local farmers, and, most curious of aU, it is the
only section of these roads for which there was literary reference
available, Hasted giving a very inteUigible description of the route in his
History of Kent.1 Again, it is evident that no one reaUy conversant
with the course of Route III on the ground, through Tenterden, St.
Michael's and Parkgate, especiaUy in Dawbourne Wood, near Breeches
Pond and across the deep giU at Bishopsdale, could regard the Survey's
Une as anything but imaginary or ideahzed. From all this it is clear
that we shaU be justified in considering the Ordnance Survey's routes
as no more than an early and honest, if clumsy, attempt at recording
local information of very unequal value.
II. MAIDSTONE—KINGSNORTH—LYMPNE.
From the junction point in the orchard at Amber Green a shght
agger can be seen running east from the parish boundary stone to the
garden of the cottage at the corner of the Four Wents—Amber Green
road. Just beyond Amberfield a hedgerow foUows the Une for 240 yards
to Almery Cottages, and again for 380 yards farther to the Chart Sutton
—Norton Forstal road, the ridge showing faintly in the field to the
south of the hedgerow as it nears the road, for it is diverging from the
hedge there. AU this land is under intensive orchard cultivation, and
i f is not surprising that few traces remain.
We now approach the steep escarpment of the greensand ridge at
Sutton Valence, and the last portion of a lane which joins the main road
north of the church may represent part of the course, for there are
indications just east of the road there, opposite the new Council School,
of an old terrace leading on eastwards behind the houses. Another
Roman waUed cemetery containing about a hundred burials was found
Second edition (1798), VH, 584.
ROMAN ROADS IN WEST KENT. 45
only 170 yards north of the course there,1 in the grounds of the new
College buUdings, just above the first descent on the escarpment, a
suitably prominent spot for such a site.
From the centre of the viUage the course next foUows the lower
road past Sutton Vicarage, Sutton Castle and Sutton Place to Boyton
Court. This is an underhill terrace of ancient origin, foUowing the
main aUgnment closely, though, naturaUy, it winds somewhat along the
hiUside. The Castle keep, a square stone tower, stands conspicuously
on a spur immediately above and adjacent to the road which, obviously,
provides the reason for its presence at this point in Sutton, for it is not
a position that would otherwise be of any particular importance there.
At Boyton Court there are no further visible traces, but the rest of
the descent along the general aUgnment was easUy practicable, and upon
approaching the lane that comes down from East Sutton, caUed Friday
Street, traces of a hoUow, and then, across the lane, a length of hedgerow
with a hoUow beside it mark the course. It is again marked by hedgerows
130 yards south of the Prince of Wales Inn farther east, but after
this there is nothing for some 2\ miles, although the south side of
Kingsnorth Wood Ues upon the alignment, and some hedgerows west
and east of Woodsden, near Southernden, probably mark it. East
of Southpark Wood, Southernden, there are traces of a shght ridge,
with local stone, although we have now got on to a stoneless clay
country, leading down to a stream beyond which it is continued by a line
of hedgerows across Bedlam Lane and through Wanden until, near
The WUderness, it meets a straight track leading east through Frith
Wood. The track is quite a featureless woodland ride now heavUy
covered with wartime rubble, but it leads into a road running past
Frith Farm towards Pluckley which, in turn, connects with a long line
of hedgerows that does appear to have some significance. At the east
end of the Frith Farm road, where it forks at The Pinnock, a hoUow can
be seen north of the present road leading more directly towards the
commencement of the hedge Une at The Pinnock, and this is then
continuous for a mile to a point near some cottages with the curious
name of Stone Abbage. The Une curves sUghtly, apparently to suit
the ground, but there is a definite appearance of a shght agger along it,
with traces of stone, although the soU there is notably stoneless.
About 440 yards east of Stone Abbage the lane to Dowle Street
carries on the Une for a short distance and then leaves it again, but a
hedgerow with considerable stone in it continues in the same direction,
passing 190 yards to the south of the old farmhouse at Dowle Street.
Beyond the lane leading south to SnoadhUl a hedgerow with traces of
an agger and scattered flint leads directly to March Wood and, beyond,
to the beginning of the large Hoad's Wood. This wood and Etchden
Wood cover the next -f mUe over which there appears to be no trace,
1 Arch. Cant., X, 166 and XV, 88.
46 ROMAN ROADS IN WEST KENT.
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ROMAN ROADS IN WEST KENT. 47
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48 ROMAN ROADS IN WEST KENT.
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50 ROMAN ROADS IN WEST KENT.
for the visibihty in Hoad's Wood is fairly good. At the far side of
Etchden Wood, however, a large bank, 27 ft. wide with a broad hoUow
along its north side, extends towards Upper Coldharbour Earm for
170 yards. As it now stands, this bank may weU be an artificial rabbitwarren
of medieval origin, but it must be admitted that, if so, it is a
remarkable coincidence that it should happen to come exactly upon
the true aUgnment of the road. Moreover, it is continued much more
faintly into Etchden Wood, and it seems on the whole more probable
that the original agger remained sufficiently distinct at the edge of
Etchden Wood to have suggested its conversion to a rabbit-warren by
widening it with additional material from the hoUow on the north side.
Nothing is to be seen past Upper Coldharbour until a short piece of
lane comes upon the line for 230 yards, and a very sUght ridge can be
seen across the fields direct from Little Singleton to Moat Farm, Great
Chart. Beyond this there is nothing for a mUe, until at Cuckoo Wood
traces of an old hedgeline and then a line of hedgerows from the north
side of Joy Wood to Stanhope School, near Ashford, seem to mark
the course.
This brings the road along the south side of Stanhope School
gardens, where much stone can be seen, to the cross roads near Effingham
and Westhawk Farms which is the point of junction with Route
I I I from Hemsted and Tenterden. At EUingham Farm there is a
shght curve at a crossing of a branch of the East Stour, and then the
commencement of the drive to Park Farm, Kingsnorth, represents the
course, although, farther on, this passes to the north of both the present
farm and its adjacent earUer moated site. Then there is no trace for
1,100 yards across some low-lying ground to Bilham Farm, where the
well-known portion of the route begins, first as the farm road and then
as the high road to Aldington, Lympne and Hythe. It seems very
probable that it was this wet area near Bilham Farm which caused
the road to go out of use west of this point.
The evidence here adduced for the " lost " portion of Route I I west
of Kingsnorth is admittedly sUght, though it is just what one may expect
in such cases. The strongest points in favour of the existence of the
road are : (1) the coincidence of the aUgnments from Maidstone southeast
and from Kingsnorth north-west both meeting with the Staplehurst
aUgnment at Amber Green, (2) the position of the Roman cemetery
at Sutton Valence, just where the route reaches the crest of the
ridge, (3) the position of Sutton Castle beside the road as it climbs the
escarpment, and (4) the traces of stone and flint near Dowle Street
and elsewhere, at places where these are not normaUy found.
III. HEMSTED—TENTERDEN—ASHEORD—CANTERBURY.
At first glance it now seems strange that the south-easterly road
from Kent to the Sussex ironworking district should have been directed
ROMAN ROADS IN WEST KENT. 51
so far inland as to join Route I at Hemsted, 15 miles to the north of
Hastings. Actually, however, there was a very sound reason for this,
as it was at that time the most southerly route available that would not
have involved ferrying across tidal estuaries. To what extent the area
of Romney Marsh was by then emerging from the sea is a matter of
controversy, but it does at least seem clear that the Rother, under its
old name of Limen, then flowed eastwards along the old coastline as a
large tidal estuary to an outlet near Lympne, and that until a much
later date there were long arms of tidal water running in behind the
Isle of Oxney on each side of Tenterden. It was to avoid these that the
road was sited so far inland.
The road leaves Route I just by the mansion of Hemsted, proceeding
through the park close to the east drive ; it crosses the Sissinghurst—
Benenden road 80 yards south of the turning to Goddard's Green, and
is visible as a shght agger under the trees just before leaving the park.
There also seems to be a trace of it, as a hollow, just east of the new
school buildings on the east drive. It appears as an agger with traces
of slag metalling along the south side of the narrow shaw beside the
Goddard's Green road, and comes up to the Green through an orchard,
where it shows as a distinct hoUow. The modern road then seems to
Ue upon it past Eaton and Redhouse Farms, for the highway is distinctly
raised there and, moreover, the next clear traces, through Uppergate
Wood, where it is a large agger, 36 ft. wide, in places heavily metalled
with slag, lead directly from the modern road at Redhouse.
The course of the road is here directed in a series of short straights
along an east—west ridge. This involves a shghtly more southerly
trend past Cleveland Farm, which Ues some 320 yards north of the road,
the course being quite definitely marked by a hedgerow with remains
of the agger and slag metalhng. Next, the Ordnance Survey shows it
turning north-east straight across a httle vaUey and up to Bexhill Farm.
Traces of the agger are visible near the stream crossing, and near Bexhill
Farm, where it again turns almost due east, a Une of hedgerows marks
its course to Bishopsdale.
These turns might be due to a desire to keep along the ridges as much
as possible, nevertheless the southward bulge here from the general Une
seems unnecessarily pronounced, and a possible explanation is provided
by a Une of hedgerows traceable south-eastwards for about a mile
towards Tenterden. Traces of an earth agger and numerous pits
appear along this line and it seems quite hkely that this may have been a
branch road leading to the head of what would then have been an
estuary running inland to a point just north of Rolvenden Station.
The bends near BexhiU Farm would then be due to the road having
forked there.
East of Bishopsdale the slag metalhng is traceable, about 60 yards
north of the Ordnance Survey Une which here, as elsewhere, is evidently
ROMAN ROADS IN WEST KENT
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the Ordnance Survey Map, by permission of H.M. Stationery Office.
ROMAN ROADS IN WEST KENT. 53
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54 ROMAN ROADS IN WEST KENT.
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ROMAN ROADS IN WEST KENT. 55
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56 ROMAN ROADS IN WEST KENT.
somewhat ideaUzed. A steep giU in FUght Wood must have been
directly crossed by a bridge, east of which the slag metalling in the
wood is weU preserved. Beyond, at Parkgate, the lane leading past
Breeches Pond and Brown's Corner to St. Michael's, Tenterden,
clearly represents its course; the lane runs in very straight short
lengths designed to fit the somewhat difficult ground near the Pond,
which the map Une fails to do, especiaUy near Reighton Wood. It is
very probable that the bay of the Pond is based upon the hne of the old
agger, as so often happens. The zig-zag ascent at its eastern end is
most hkely the original route, too.
At Brown's Corner it is possible that the straight lane leading south
to ChenneU Park, and showing as an old hoUow way in the park there,
was another branch connection to the estuary, giving access from the
north-east.
From Brown's Corner eastwards the modern road runs very straight
along a ridge and there seems no reason to doubt that it represents the
course, the Ordnance Survey line to the north being unsupported, and
at St. Michael's, where the roads diverge north and south of it, there is a
distinct hoUow leading on a Uttle way towards the church, which stands
on the Une. Through Dawbourne Wood, to the east, the course is
plainly traceable, first as a hoUow in the grounds of " Little Dawbourne,"
then as the remains of an agger heavily metaUed with iron slag
in places. Beyond the wood it runs very close to a hedgerow past
Three Vents Farm and into Lancefield Wood, where some traces of the
agger remain. A lane then foUows the line for 500 yards, and upon
leaving the woods it is marked by a hollow up to the farm of Tiffenden,
and then by a hedgerow with a sUght agger along it to Trottingale Wood,
and similarly on approaching Brook Wood, through which the agger is
also faintly visible.
Beyond, at Plurenden, the modern road comes close beside the Une
for 400 yards, and the agger is faintly visible in the fields both to the
south-west of Plurenden and opposite Plurenden Cottages; also the
north edge of Nine Acre Wood, near Great Engeham, Ues upon the line.
The agger can again be faintly seen, together with scattered metalling,
in the field north-east of the crossroads there, which he exactly upon it.
From Brown's Corner, through St. Michael's, to this point the road
foUows very closely a single aUgnment, but it now turns very sUghtly
more to the east, at a point 520 yards beyond Great Engeham crossroads,
in order to avoid a stream near Whitepost Wood. The point
provides an interesting confirmation of the ancient origin of the road,
because, though the intention of the engineers to avoid the stream is
obvious, the hne of the road does in fact cut aoross the most extreme
bend there by about 60 yards. Since the construction of the road the
stream has evidently shifted its course to this extent, and as it is a small
and very sluggish one we may assume that such a change would take a
ROMAN ROADS IN WEST KENT. 57
long time. A similar case, upon a larger scale, was noted upon the
London—Lewes Roman road at WelUngham, north of Lewes, where a
bend of the River Ouse cuts it.1
Beyond Great Engeham the road is visible as a shght hoUow in the
field between Mayshaves Farm and Little Ruck Wood, then it is marked
by the scattered flint and slag metalhng aU along the hne past Harlakenden,
in Whitepost Wood (near the north-east side) and up to the lane
north of Little Criol Farm. East of Criol Farm a Une of hedgerows
with traces of an agger marks its course for 860 yards past Snailwood,
and the agger is very clear, with traces of pebble metaUmg, across the
last field to Stubcross Wood, where for 150 yards the modern road takes
up the Une. A farmer here has found a foundation of large stone slabs
underlying the road south-west of the Wood.
At Stubb Cross the road turns more to the north again, making
direct for Ashford; its course is plainly marked by a long line of
hedgerows with abundant traces of the metalling along its western
side to Court Lodge Farm, an old moated site, and again through
Westhawk Farm beyond, along or near a hedgerow marking the
Kingsnorth—WUlesborough parish boundary. The last part of this,
forming the approach road to Westhawk from the north, Ues upon a
distinct agger, running up to the crossroads at Stanhope School where
it meets Route II.
The part of the road just described is clearly mentioned in Hasted's
History of Kent2, where under Kingsnorth he writes :
" . . . close to the western boundary of the parish is the manorhouse
of West Hailes, which has been a large antient building, most
probably of some consequence in former times, as there appears to
have been a causeway once from it, wide enough for a carriage,
which led through the court-lodge farm towards Shadoxhurst,
Woodchurch, and so on to Halden, remains of which are often turned
up in ploughing the grounds."
In view of this evidence and the fact that the road is well known to
local farmers, it is surprising that the Ordnance Survey should have
been baffled as to its correct course. They continued the ahgnment
from SnaUwood straight on beyond Stubb Cross, pointing towards
Dennard's Farm at Kingsnorth Pound and ending " in the air " some
1,130 yards short of Route II. This hne is featureless, whereas the
remains of metalhng are so striking along the obvious hne of hedgerows
a little to the west.
The reason for the northward bend at Stubb Cross was actually to
regain the main Ashford—Tenterden ahgnment that had been left at
Great Engeham to avoid the stream near Whitepost Wood, and thus
1 S.A.C., LXXIV, 28.
2 Second edition (1798), VII, 584.
58 . ROMAN ROADS IN WEST KENT.
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p. 62.
Based upon the Ordnance Survey Map, by permission of H.M. Stationery Office.
ROMAN ROADS IN WEST KENT. 59
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Based upon the Ordnance Survey Map, by permission of H.M. Stationery Office.
60 ROMAN ROADS IN WEST KENT.
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ROMAN ROADS IN WEST KENT. 61
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