Belgic and Roman Pottery from Dartford

RESEARCHES AND DISCOVERIES BELGIO AND ROMAN POTTERY FROM DARTFORD In 1959, the premises of Messrs. Penny Son & Parker in Dartford High Street, about 50 yards west of Holy Trinity Church, were demolished and the site excavated for a considerable depth in preparation for the erection of F. W. Woolworth's Stores which now cover the area (N.G.R. TQ 54337400). This digging was kept under observation and material of archmological interest was recovered with the help of the workmen. This included some Belgic and Roman pottery which is considered worthy of publication in view of the scarcity of recorded material of this age found close to the intersection of the Roman road with the River Darent. 210 RESEARCHES AND DISCOVERIES The section exposed at right-angles to the south side of the High Street showed a thick layer of black peaty alluvium resting with its base on river gravel about 7 ft. below the modern surface. A Belgictype urn, Roman pottery, fragments of tegulae,, animal bones and charcoal were observed towards the base of the black stratum. This agrees with the observations of F. C. J. Spurrell who noted that the town of Dartford 'now stands on black peaty soil; a mere swamp, the deposits of floods and the tide, mixed of course with the debris of old buildings. But the Roman level is not touched nearer than 4 or 5 feet from the surface .. .' (Arch. Gant., xviii (1889), 312). He recorded foundations seen in 1866 in the High Street near the church, and a tessellated pavement at the entrance to Lowfield Street, but apart from this very little has previously come to light to confirm the probability that a Roman settlement existed on the low ground near the Da.rent ford. Most of the Roman finds from Dartford have come from higher ground on either side of the valley and close to the line of Watling Street of which the High Street forms a part. It seems likely that the pottery had been washed out of its original context by flooding of the Darent in post- Roman times and incorporated in the alluvium by the same agency. A small quantity of Roman sherds was also obtained in 1958 during the building of an extension to Marks & Spencer's shop on the opposite side of the High Street. River gravel was revealed 8 ft. from the surface, capped by black soil containing Roman tiles and pottery, including Patch Grove ware. When a telephone exchange was constructed in 1969-1970 behind the Post Office in Hythe Street (N.G.R. TQ 54197413) alluvium was noted to a depth of 7 ft. A Roman flagon neck was recovered from this site (Fig. 1, no. 18). The following note on the samian ware from the Woolworth's site has been contributed by Mr. A. P. Detsicas, M.A., F. S.A. Mr. P. J. Tester, F.S.A., has figured and described the coarse pottery. SA.MUN WA.RE The forms represented in this a.ssemblage are as follows: (i) Plain: Form 15/17, South Gaulish, 1 vessel, Flavian. Form 18, South Gaulish, 2 vessels, Flavian. Form 18/31 or 31, Central Gaulish, 1 vessel, mid-second century. Form 31, Central Gaulish, 1 vessel, late second century. Fori:n 33, Central Gaulish, 1 vessel, mid-second century. Form 33, East Gaulish, 1 vessel, late second century. Form 27, South Gaulish, 2 vessels, Flavian. 211 5 .... -\ 7 .) 10 ' 13 RESEARCHES AND DISCOVERIES 4 ? (' "14 '----, ... -- ... ' \ ' I I I ' ' ' 1 ' I I I I I I _, ' e,,s ffl.·..• , 8 Fzo. I. Belgio and Roman Pottery from Dartford(¼), 212 RESEARCHES AND DISCOVERIES .l!'orm 27, Central Gaulish, 1 vessel, Trajan-Hadrianic. Form 36, Central Gaulish, 1 vessel, second century. Form 38, Central Gaulish, 1 vessel, late second century. Form 45, Central Gaulish, 1 vessel, end of second century. Form Curle 11, South Gaulish, 1 vessel, Flavian. (ii) Decorated: Form 29, South Gaulish, 1 vessel, Flavian. Form 29, South Gaulish, stamped inside base OFMOM/, with graffito N below the foot-ring, Neronian-Flavian. Form 37, Central Gaulish, rim-band only, 2 vessels, late-Antonine. Form 37, South Gaulish, 1 vessel, late first century. Form 37, East Gaulish, 1 vessel, late second century. The samian ware as a whole suggests occupation from the Flavian period to the third century A.D. COARSE POTTERY Only a proportion of the sherds lend themselves to illustration or detailed description. Of those figured herewith (Fig. 1), nos. 1-17 came from the Woolworth's site, while no. 18 was recovered from the Telephone Exchange excavation in Hythe Street. The material from the former provenance is predominantly early in character and includes common domestic forms, such as mortars, which indicate a habitation site, although no. 1 might well have come from a cremation burial. 1. Pedestal-base vessel of Belgic character, recovered almost complete but with no trace of cremated remains in the contents. Grey ware. Low cordons defined by shallow grooves encircle neck and body, with tooled lattice and chevron decoration, now very eroded. This decoration compares with Ricnborough Ill, 254 (mid-first century), while the shape is clearly related to the Belgic pedestal-urns of preRoman Swarling type. 2. Flat quoit-shaped pedestal base of hard grey ware with black burnished surface. Its Belgic affinities link it with no. 1 above. First half of first century A.D. 3. Charlton-type bead-rim cooking-pot with recess on bead. Hard gritty grey ware. Late first or second century. (Of. Arch. Gant., lxviii (1954), 177, nos. 8-13, from Joyden's Wood.) 4. Cup-mouthed flagon, reddish ware with white slip. (Cf. Arch. Gant., lxx (1956),275,nos. l-6fromHooSt. Werburg.) Mid-first century. 5. Carinated bowl with low cordon round constriction of body and zone of eroded rouletting between cordon and rim. Hard fine grey ware. First century. 6. Heavy moulded rim in hard grey ware fired to pinkish shades on surface. Rim diameter about 12 in. (Of. Arch. Gant., lxviii (1954), 114, nos. 58, from Canterbury.) Late first or early second century. 213 RESEARCHES AND DISCOVERU.)R 7. Rim of amphora in typical buff ware. 8. Platter of grey ware with pronounced internal thickening of wall. A common first-century form. 9. Rim of cooking pot with slight bead on lower edge. Dull-red ware. Rim diameter 8 in. (Cf. Oolchester, 268.) Common in second century. 10. Vessel in thin reddish ware, with outcurved rim, and raised corrugation on shoulder. (Cf. Richborough II, 144.) First century. 11. Depressed bead rim of bowl, in hard grey ware with smooth black outer surface. Rim diameter about 9 in. 12. Lower part of vessel with faint traces of eroded rouletting. Hard gritty brown ware. (Cf. Arch. Cant., lxii (1949), 25, no. 5, and 27, no. 14.) Second half of first century. 13. Small cooking pot with everted rim. Grey ware. A very common form in the second century. 14. Mortar or bowl (no grits visible) of buff ware. Diameter 8 in. Probably late first or second century. 15. Mortar of buff ware, with boldly hooked flange, bead eroded. Diameter 12 in. Late first or second century. 16. Mortar of pinkish-buff ware, coarsely gritted, drooping flange. Diameter 16 in. Late first or second century. 17. Lower part of vessel with slightly raised base and heavily moulded foot-ring. Hard smooth dull-red clay. Probably late-third or fourth century. Almost identical with Richborough II, 179. 18. Ring-neck jug in dull orange clay with traces of white slip and two-ribbed handle. Late-first or early second century. From Telephone Exchange site, Hythe Street. (Not illustrated) 19. Part of neck of large flagon with two-ribbed handle. White ware, very eroded. Possibly resembled Richborough III, 195 (first century), but too incomplete for satisfactory identification. 20. Rim and shoulder of Patch Grove storage jar with stabbed decoration on shoulder very similar to vessel from Bexley figured in Arch. Cant., lxxii (1958), 188, no. I. Rim form, however, is closer to Arch. Gant., l:x:viii (1954), 175, no. 2, from Joyden's Wood. Late first or second century. 21. Fragment of rim of Patch Grove vessel of same general type as that from Joyden's Wood previously mentioned. 22. Rim similar to Joyden's Wood, no. l (Arch. Gant., lxviii (1954), 175). Grey ware, shell filled, with traces of black coating. Late-first or second century. 23. Lattice-decorated pie-dish of common type. Richbm·O'!tgh Ill, 339. Late first or second century. 214- RJ•:SEARCHES AND DISCOVERIES 24. Poppy-head beaker with characteristic applied stud decoration. Wall-sherds only. Richborough I, 54. Late first or second century. 25. Rim of plate resembling Richborougli I, 86. Grey ware. 26. Side of plain dish resembling Richborough I, 85. Dark grey ware. 27-32. Six plain everted rims of jars or cooking-pots of a common and persistent type. 33. Bead-rim of bowl of pink ware with red slip. Fourth century. L. c. DALE 215