Chart Sutton Roman Site Revised - Extra Finds

By Deborah Goacher

Within days of the article “The Roman Building at Chart Sutton Revisited” appearing in the latest volume of Archaeologia Cantiana (Vol. 142, 2021, pp 253-272), contact was made with the author through the KAS regarding a small collection of pottery in possession of long-standing KAS member, Graeme Horner. He had been a former pupil of Sutton Valence School, where items associated with the original Chart Sutton excavations had been part of a classroom display in the 1950s. Some of these items had then been passed over to the young Mr Horner in recognition of his enthusiasm and early involvement in local archaeology.

By an extraordinary coincidence, at the time of reading the above article in June of this year, Mr Horner had been preparing to offer the collection of pottery to Maidstone Museum, but then recognised that it could now present an unexpected opportunity for a further study concerning the Chart Sutton Roman site, especially as the pottery appears to be additional to those fragments illustrated by Mr V.J. Newbury in his surviving records. These paper records formed the basis of the recently published write-up concerning the Chart Sutton Roman Building situated to the north of Court Farm (KCC HER Monument TQ 84 NW 6).

The current writer would be delighted to learn if, by any further remote chance, there was anyone else with extra information, records, or finds relating

to the 1950s excavations at Chart Sutton, which had involved both staff and pupils of the nearby Sutton Valence School. It is intended that the physical archive relating to these Chart Sutton excavations should be lodged with the KAS to be available in the future for reference or study.

The writer is indebted to the late Albert Daniels for supplying the records and encouragement that led to this site’s details coming to publication.

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Fig 1: Chart Sutton Roman Latchlifter – Drawn by Graeme Horner

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Figs 2 and 3: Roman Pottery Assemblages