Excavations on the Site of a Romano-British Settlement in Joyden's Wood, near Bexley

EXCAVATIONS ON THE SITE OF A ROMANO-BRITISH SETTLEMENT IN JOYDEN'S WOOD, NEAR BEXLEY By P. J. TESTER and J. E. L. CAIGER EXCAVATIONS have recently been conducted under the supervision of the writers on the site of a Romano-British settlement in the S.E. corner of Joyden's Wood, National Grid Reference TQ 50137082. The work has extended over three seasons (1951-53) and has revealed features which indicate the former existence at this point of a settlement occupied chiefly during the 2nd century but with some evidence of later habitation in the 4th century. No actual buUdings or hut-sites have been found but a number of filled-in ditches have been traced and a smaU kiln uncovered. These features contained abundant evidence of their Roman age in the form of pottery and other datable material. Digging in this densely wooded area has been very difficult, and the evidence here presented was obtained at the cost of considerable personal labour. We should hke to express our thanks to those friends who have assisted in the enterprise, and for help and encouragement from various quarters. The Site Joyden's Wood covers a sandy plateau on the E. side of the Cray vaUey. It is weU known to archaeologists for the numerous earthworks and deneholes it contains, none of which has been dated with any certainty. F. C. J . Spurrell made an extensive survey of the wood and published a plan of the earthworks in Archaeological Journal, XXXVIII (1881). Mr. A. H. A. Hogg re-examined the area on the basis of this survey in 1934 and pubhshed a plan, together with a summary of present speculation as to the age and purpose of the archseological features, in Arch. Cant., LIV (1941). The site of our recent digging is S. of the area covered by these former surveys and it cannot be claimed that the present discovery throws any direct light on the age of the earthwork complex in the main part of the wood. A possible relationship of the settlement to a well-marked ancient trackway, shown on the 6 in. O.S. map and noted also by Spurrell and Hogg,1 is, however, worthy of consideration. The first evidence of Roman occupation on the site of our investigation was discovered by the second-named writer in the spring of 1951. This consisted of a few sherds of coarse Roman pottery found on a 1 This is shown as the trackway CD on Hogg's plan in Arch. Cant., LIV. 167 ROMANO-BRITISH SETTLEMENT IN JOYDEN'S WOOD rabbit-scrape a few yards from the footpath between North Cray and StonehiU Green. In order to foUow up this clue some trenches were opened at the spot and the features here described, of which there were no surface indications, subsequently brought to light. The site of the settlement is a shght hUl (over 250 O.D.), composed chiefly of Blackheath pebble-beds, rising above the general level of the plateau. To the S.E. the ground slopes away sharply, the chalk outcropping from beneath the Tertiary beds about £ mile away. From here a fine view is obtained towards the vaUey of the Darent with the North Downs beyond. The river Cray is \\ mUes westward and Watling Street runs 2-| mUes to the north. Both the Cray and the Darent vaUeys have produced evidence of intensive occupation during Roman times, but the mtervening area has yielded comparatively few remains of this period. The nearest discovery of Roman material to our present site was made within the square earthwork § mUe to the north, as described in Arch. Cant., LXI, p. 134, and consisted of a few Roman potsherds probably antedating the construction of the earthwork which is of presumed mediaeval origin. A plan showing the disposition of the Roman ditches and kiln in relation to later surface features and the present footpath is given in Fig. I.1 These surface features, consisting of a disused trackway, a boundary bank and a small gravel pit, do not appear to be related to the Roman settlement and may be of comparatively recent origin. The Roman Ditches There was not the slightest surface indication of these ditches but their dark fillings showed clearly in the sides of our trial trenches and their courses were subsequently traced and their contents carefuUy examined. The ditch AB was cleared for a distance of 147 ft. In section it presented a shallow V-shape with slightly hollowed sides. Its outline could only be traced in the clean pebbly sub-soil, the upper part of the sections being composed of about \\ ft. of dark humus and surface soil which could not easUy be distinguished from the ditch filling. At point B the greatest depth of the ditch below the present surface was about 3 ft. and near point A it was a foot deeper. Possibly this difference is due to changes in surface level caused by ploughing over the site at a subsequent period. Its original width is estimated to have been 4 to 6 ft. Apart from a few inches of clean silting at the bottom, the 1 The position of the area covered by the site-plan in relation to the features of the O.S. 6 inch map may be ascertained as follows : The intersection of the ditoh AB with the footpath is 192 ft. N.W. of the point where the path crosses the boundary between the wood and the orchard, as shown on Kent Sheet VIII. S.E. A bench-mark (273-05 ft.) occurs here on a stile in the line of the boundary fence, as indicated on the O S. map. 168 ROMANO-BRITISH SETTLEMENT IN JOYDEN'S WOOD filling was a homogeneous dark soU containing many pebbles. Roman domestic rubbish occurred in this filling in great quantity throughout its entire length but was more concentrated N. of its intersection with the modern footpath. Coarse pottery, including much Patch Grove ware, Samian ware of the 2nd century, iron nails, fragments of querns, flint nodules, patches of charcoal, burnt clay and occasional decomposed fragments of bones were recovered. Small pieces of Roman roofing tUes also occurred, mainly in the upper levels. Near A the ditch faded out on the side of a slight hollow which appears to be of natural origin, while the other end, at B, came to an abrupt finish after making a shght unexplainable turn. Its course was resumed after an interval of 10 ft. and its continuation southward, on a slightly different ahgnment, has not been traced to its full extent. Near A, another ditch of simUar type joined the main ditch. Its filling contained pottery of the same character and in some cases sherds from the two ditches have actually been joined together, thus proving their contemporaneity. The extension of this ditch beyond C appears to have been destroyed by the gravel pit. WhUe the pottery in both these ditches was chiefly 2nd century in the main filhng, the upper 1 | ft. contained a scatter of bead-and-flange rims characteristic of the 4th century. Beyond this the stratification did not appear to have any archaeological significance. From the upright position of many of the sherds and the absence of lines of natural bedding it may be concluded that the main contents were the result of dehberate in-filling rather than slow accumulation. The pottery in the ditch AC was more fragmentary than in AB and the finds less numerous. From the edge of the gravel pit a third ditch was traced for some distance towards D. It was of simUar character to the others, the depth being about 3 ft. and the section generally V-shaped. The southern end did not connect with the pit but was separated from it by a short section of undisturbed sub-soU. Near this point the upper filling was composed of a mass of chalk lumps and flint nodules and further north much wood ash with sherds of pottery occurred. The pottery was fragmentary but of the same character as that in the ditches AB and AC. A large sherd, comprising the rim and side of a mortar, of 2nd century date, came from the lower filling. The ditch shown on the plan passing from S.E. to N.W. across the kiln was apparently later than the 2nd century features. Its V section suggested a Roman date and it was filled to the surface with clean pebbly loam. The only artifacts from this filling were some small worn sherds including a few 4th century bead-and-flange rims. There is thus a possibUity that this ditch was connected with the 4th century occupation of the site indicated by pottery of simUar type in the upper levels of the earlier ditches. 169 ROMANO-BRITISH SETTLEMENT IN JOYDEN'S WOOD The Kiln (Fig. 1) This consisted of a roughly circular pit 3 ft. in diameter with a flat bottom 3-| ft. below the present surface. The vertical sides were lined to a height of 1 ft. with a facing of burnt clay which had been destroyed on one side by the action of tree roots. Clear indications of the limits of the kiln on the destroyed margins were, however, shown by marks of burning on the floor level. Leading into the pit there was a narrow clay-lined trench representing the lower portion of the firing tunnel, and the plan of the whole feature thus resembles the outline of a flask. It is assumed that the kiln was fired from the ditch AC with which it apparently connected. The superstructure had entirely disappeared but there was probably a clay diaphragm across the top of the clay-lined furnace-pit. No structural support for such a diaphragm was, however, observed. Over the whole there may well have been a clay dome enclosing the vessels stacked for firing on the diaphragm. Many irregular fragments of burnt clay, possibly representing the collapsed superstructure, were found in the kiln, together with a mass of wood ash mingled with sherds of coarse pottery. No clearly recognizable wasters were found on the site but it seems likely that the vessels numbered 16-21 and 29-32, described below, represent ware fired in this kiln. Most of these were found either in the kiln or in its immediate vicinity and sherds of this distinctive ware were very seldom met with outside this restricted area. Clay for the making of pottery could have been obtained a few yards away and experiments have been made in firing some of this material and matching it against pottery found on the site. WhUe no certain conclusions can be drawn, the results of these experiments tend to confirm this identification. An alternative suggestion is that the kiln was used for roasting corn to prevent germination in damp storage pits. Fourth century Wins designed for this purpose have been noted elsewhere and the practice may have been of earlier origin. There is conclusive proof that the kiln is of approximately the same age as the ditches AB and AC for sherds from the kiln can be joined to vessels found nearby in the lower filling of AB, closely associated with Samian ware authoritatively dated to A.D. 130-140. Surface Finds Sherds of Roman pottery, pot-boilers and tile fragments occur on the surface of the wood around the site of the settlement. Extensive trial digging and probing was undertaken but failed to locate any structural features to which these finds might be related. This surface scatter seems to lie chiefly N.W. of the ditoh AB and extends for at least 150 ft. North of the bank Bhown on the site-plan the subsoU is 170 ROMANO-BRITISH SETTLEMENT IN JOYDEN'S WOOD Trrach^J^ W&. D %•* GRAVEL KILN 9Z8*' m i to & .... • 0 STON&HIU- GREEN' -TO /Limits traced by mark•s of" b urnitnligfg on f f . . . Jhz floor s .<&• -*Vs. Furnace Pit Out ine traced in subsoil. Burnt THE KILN Firing Tunnel. Scale of Feet. m Sg If Si vf: PLAN OF M ROMAN SITE tr IN $L JOYDEN'S WOOD. *5i. V'. ROMAN DITCHES $SM® 30 45 =3— Scale of Feet. PIG. 1 171 ROMANO-BRITISH SETTLEMENT IN JOYDEN'S WOOD heavy clay and the ground waterlogged. There was an entire absence of finds in this area. CONCLUSIONS Digging on this site was prolonged in the hope of finding traces of a buUding, but in this we were disappointed. That there were buUdings of some sort in the locality is beyond all doubt for the quantity of finds from the ditches indicates a more than casual occupation, whUe the fragments of roofing tiles suggest a substantial structure rather than flimsy huts. On the other hand, not a single trace of mortar or plaster was found, or anything to indicate the proximity of a masonry buUding, apart from a small number of tUe fragments with " combed " markings usually associated with flue tiles used in Roman hypocausts. From a consideration of the general evidence we are inclined to believe that this settlement was at both periods of occupation in the nature of an open vUlage. The elevated position of the site on hght soil close to the chalk outcrop supports this conclusion for such situations were favoured for native-type settlements throughout the Roman period in continuance of prehistoric custom. Substantially buUt wooden huts could have carried tiled roofs and evidence of this practice has been noted at Richborough and elsewhere. Post-holes connected with these buUdings could not be traced at Joyden's Wood owing to the deep penetration of tree roots and the impossibility of clearing a wide enough area of the woodland to make a search for these features practicable. The ditches were possibly for surface drainage rather than defence, and these are usual features of Romano-British village sites. Their size in this instance is, however, remarkable, particularly as the soil is naturally well drained. The period of occupation is determined by the dating of the pottery. A very small number of coarse sherds found in the ditches might be Iron Age survivals but they are too fragmentary and few in number to indicate an occupation of this period. AU the Samian ware from the ditches is 2nd century and although some of the associated coarse ware might be referred on typological grounds to the second half of the 1st century the probability of the persistence of early forms must always be taken into consideration. Two coins found in the upper fillings of the ditches AB and AC belong to the latter half of the 2nd century. The pottery evidence supports the conclusion that these ditches were filled to within about 1£ ft. of the present surface not later than A.D. 200 and thereafter a slight scatter of 4th century material accumulated hi the final covering. Absence of finds which can definitely be referred to the 3rd century may indicate a period of abandonment of the site between the two main occupations. 172 ROMANO-BRITISH SETTLEMENT IN JOYDEN'S WOOD ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Permission to dig was kindly given by Mr. W. H. Barrett and Mrs. Lennard. Assistance in the digging was given on occasions by friends, including some members of the Bexley Local History and Antiquarian Group. We would like to acknowledge in particular the consistent support of Roger Taylor, who has been with us regularly throughout the three seasons' work. The GuUdhall Museum cleaned and identified the Antonine coin and the British Museum (Natural History) identified y 0 &m \i ?^ J a&* i k F.OSWAL-DBEL FIG. 2. Decorated Samian ware, form 37 (f) the charcoals. The Geological Survey and Museum reported on the querns. Dr. Felix Oswald examined and dated the Samian ware. The writers wish to extend their thanks to these and all others who have helped in various ways. THE POTTERY SAMIAN WARE Decorated (Fig. 2) Portions of a bowl, form 37, were found close to the bottom of the ditch AB and near its N. end. Dr. F. Oswald has kindly examined the 173 ROMANO-BRITISH SETTLEMENT IN JOYDEN'S WOOD sherds and stated that the vessel is the work of Doeccus of Lezoux and its date about A.D. 130-140. The 0. & P. figure types shown are the kneeling warrior (0. 204), the crane (0. 2197) and the sphinx (0. 858). The rim diameter of the bowl is approximately 8 in. Plain (not Ulustrated) Form 18/31. Fragments of a vessel too small for accurate dating. Ditch AB. Form 31. Sherds of vessel of 2nd century date. Ditch AB. Form 33. (i) Almost complete vessel bearing the stamp QUINTIM for Quintus of Lezoux, a potter of the Hadrian-Antonine period. Rim diameter 4 in. Lower filling of ditch AB. (U) Complete side of vessel with rim diameter of 5-6 in. No stamp, but Dr. Oswald dates it to A.D. 140-150. Ditch AB. Form 46. Base with rosette stamp at centre of bowl. (0. <& P., Plate LV, No. 13). Probably Antonine. Ditch AB, southern end. Ritterling form 8. Base with shallow footring. A rather late variety. From upper levels of ditch AB. COARSE WARE The bulk of the coarse pottery consists of common types of Romano- British vessels, chiefly of 2nd century date. An interestmg feature however, is the association in the ditch fillings of 2nd century forms, including Samian ware, with Patch Grove and bead-rim vessels which by themselves would be referred to the second half of the 1st century. While the poorly stratified nature of the context makes it dangerous to carry this evidence of association too far, the fact that little independent evidence of 1st century occupation is forthcoming seems to indicate that Patch Grove ware and bead-rim cooking pots were in use here at least as late as the middle of the 2nd century. These two types of pottery are of pre-Roman origin and are commonly found in association on 1st century sites in the Darent and Cray valleys. (See Arch. Cant., LI, 1939, Excavations on Oldbury Hill, Ightham, by J. B. Ward Perkins, pp. 176-180.) Their occurrence at Joyden's Wood, situated between these two rivers, is therefore well within the known field of distribution. 1. Large storage jar of corky, brown ware, with zone of stabbed decoration between girth grooves. The form and decoration of this vessel link it with the Patch Grove pottery described below. Bottom of ditch AC. 2. Storage jar of Patch Grove ware. Grey clay with dull orange surface. Ruled neck and zone of stabbing around shoulder. Found in 174 ROMANO-BRITISH SETTLEMENT IN JOYDEN'S WOOD / * dr . O<• ( rrT, TT11l , f tV"o ftil' C« 0fl V•i i-l f>V~ n o 3 cc>cco