Primary School & Children’s Centre sites, Leysdown Road, Isle of Sheppey

ASE has also undertaken two adjacent excavations in the Leysdown Road area, in advance of the development of a primary school and children’s centre.

The primary school site was evaluated in June 2009 uncovering a range of features indicating significant multi-period settlement and agricultural evidence dating from the Bronze Age, Iron Age, Saxon, medieval and post-medieval periods. Subsequent excavations have further revealed this complex landscape of Iron Age, Roman and medieval field systems and enclosures. A medieval burial was also discovered.

The children’s centre site has been evaluated by five trenches to ascertain the presence and character of any surviving archaeology. Trench 4 produced the most significant archaeological remains on the site. This comprised a sub-circular funerary pit dating to the period AD100-70 which contained three fragmented semi-complete ceramic vessels in association with a quantity of cremated human bone, and four badly corroded copper alloy brooches and a cosmetic or medicinal set comprising a copper alloy mortar and pestle. Only a preliminary assessment of the burnt bone has been undertaken, but unfortunately it has not been possible to confirm if the assemblage relates to one or two separate burials. The sample did, however, contain fragments indicative of an adult individual.

The pottery vessels include a Gallo-Belgic type Butt Beaker and two jars, the forms of which suggest a date no earlier than AD100-70. This discovery is particularly significant as it adds to the growing evidence for the presence of Roman activity on the Isle of Sheppey.

Work on this site has only just come to an end, but already over 30 objects have been recorded including Roman quern stones, a Middle Saxon iron knife, and a Late Saxon silver strap end (fig.2).

Fig 2. Late Saxon silver strap end from the Leysdown Road site, Isle of Sheppey

Fig. 3. Copper-alloy pestle, part of a cosmetic set from the Leysdown Road site, Isle of Sheppey

than c.AD10 for the deposition of the cremation group. The vessels were to some extent intact when deposited, although two were found lying on their sides and both were missing either the whole base or a substantial part of it. The sherds of all three vessels were found in situ in a fragmented condition and were fairly widely dispersed. Whilst this could be partly explained by truncation or disturbance, the vessels were sealed by the overlying fill and therefore it seems possible that they were not repositories for the bone itself but were deliberately broken or ‘killed’ as part of a process of structured deposition.

The remains of at least four badly corroded and fragmented brooches were recovered. The brooches all appear to be one-piece sprung brooches with flat bow of early to mid-1st century date. Also associated is a cosmetic set consisting of a pestle and mortar. The pestle consists of a plain circular suspension loop and a curved sub-circular-sectioned stem (fig.3). The mortar retains a suspension loop with bill-like extension; the latter is often interpreted as a bird-head although this find would form a considerably stylised example. The objects would have been suspended together on a leather lace or thong, possibly from the waist. They would have been used for grinding mineral-based cosmetics or possibly medicines. This type of cosmetic set appears exclusively in Britain, mainly in the South. Although not many securely dated examples have been found, they appear from the late pre-Roman Iron Age up to the early 2nd century AD.

Visitors to the Leysdown Road Open Day in November (fig.4) had the opportunity to view all the finds from the cremation pit as well as the ongoing excavations. Further work continues on the findings from both sites.

Louise Rayner

* Archaeology South-East is the contracts division of the Centre for Applied Archaeology of the Institute of Archaeology, University College London.

Fig. 4. Public open day at the Leysdown Road site, Isle of Sheppey

Fig. 1. Map showing locations of the Northern Relief Road and Leysdown Road sites on the Isle of Sheppey