Dedicated to the Memory of Arthur Harrison: The Roman South Gate, Rochester
In March 1998, the Canterbury Archaeological Trust, at the invitation of the then Rochester upon Medway City Council (now Medway Council), began an archaeological brief on a large-scale repaving project along Boley Hill and adjacent roads to the west and south of Rochester Cathedral.
KAS members are probably aware that Arthur Harrison basically re-founded the study of archaeology in Rochester in the late 1960s, after a fifty-year period when hardly any archaeological work was undertaken in the city. It is primarily his efforts that have provided us with much of the information about the development of the defenses of the town. Just two weeks after his death in April, the Roman South Gate was uncovered during the above project. He would have loved to have seen it.
I came into 'digging' archaeology very late in life and missed most of Arthur's excavations within the city. I never dug with him, but once 'CAT' began excavating in the area, he readily gave his advice whenever asked. To the larger projects, he also paid visits. When I was working on the city wall in 1994, he asked me to stand for the KAS Council. I declined, saying that I had always visualized myself standing for council when I was old and grey. My helper on-site (an infamous character by the name of Crispin Jarman) shouted out, 'You are old and grey!'. Hence (with just enough votes), I am on the KAS Council. Arthur Harrison was the archaeology of Rochester to whom I always 'ran' for help. I will miss his advice, comments, and criticisms.
The South Gate.
The following short article and the drawings have been hurriedly put together, and the statements made below have to be considered provisional. The interpretation offered may alter in the light of further work.
Whilst watching a JCB machine away the modern asphalt road, to the surprise, consternation, and delight of myself, just 30 cm. below the surface in situ, classic 'salmon pink', opus signinum Roman concrete appeared about 10 m. to the north of South Gate House in Boley Hill road. In 1891, two parallel walls each about five feet wide had been noted in the area extending back at right angles from the line of the town wall (Payne 1895, p.6). Unfortunately, no plan had been made, and the text implies that the walls, if they survived, would be about 60 to 90 cm. below the modern ground surface. A drain trench (probably Victorian in date) had been cut along Boley Hill road, destroying the archaeological deposits on the roadway (west) side of this Roman wall and its underlying foundation. The damage to the stratigraphic sequence bedevils any attempt at interpretation, but the excavation of the disturbed material from the trench did allow a view of four masonry structural phases.
Only two courses of small neatly laid ragstone blocks of the north-south aligned op. sig. wall survived; these had been topped by a course of Roman brick. Although courses of brick had been noted in other areas (Arnold 1889, p.194; Payne 1895, p.8; 1915, p.285; V.C.H. 1974, p.82), this is the only portion of the defenses, known to the writer, where they definitely survive in situ. The length of surviving wall was only 2.25 m., and this, along with other hints, suggests that the wall had been cut back by the insertion of the masonry forming the town defenses. The lower 85 cm. of the op.sig. masonry observed was originally the below-ground foundation. Although other interpretations are possible, the op.sig. wall is regarded as being a retaining wall to keep the late second-century earthen rampart from falling into the line of the road. The masonry lay upon a 'sandwiched' foundation of chalk and flint at the front (south) of which there was a 90 cm. wide protrusion to the west. It is assumed that this protrusion continues across the road to join with further foundation material on the west; a small part of the op.sig. wall forming this side of the gate passage was also seen. It is possible that such a 'tie' foundation across the road would provide support for an arch, preventing inward movement of the base of the jambs. As no tie foundation aligned with the north end of the op.sig. wall, it is assumed that no tower straddled the carriageway.
The identification of the op.sig. 'wing walls' increases the possibility that a more prestigious gate, as proposed by Alec Detsicas (1972 p.132) (of which up until now the present writer had been extremely skeptical), would have existed at the East Gate. As suggested for Silchester (Wacher 1983, p.265), a masonry gate at this entrance would perhaps have been more likely constructed at the time of the earthwork defenses rather than belonging to the third-century wall phase.
The east-west aligned town wall showed two distinct structural phases (walls 60 and 63), separated by a layer of soil. It should be noted that there is a complete lack of dating evidence to provide 'absolute' dates. The most simple sequence is to assume that the lower wall is the Roman third-century defense which was added to the front of the late second-century earthen bank, and at this point, cut away the front of the op.sig. wall, destroying the conjectured arch in the process. The higher wall (60) is assumed to be of medieval date, but whether it is a repair of c.1100 or c.1225, representing scenarios Band A, as proposed by Colin Flight and Arthur Harrison (1986) respectively, we have no way of knowing. To add to the problems, a further wall, aligned east to west, crosses the line of the thoroughfare. This wall is also assumed to be of medieval date and is presumably a blocking wall constructed during a time of emergency; the events of 1215 most readily spring to mind.
There is no reason to believe that a tower was constructed when the masonry wall was first added. Indeed, as it appears that the road deposits within the gate passage were truncated, thereby exposing the op.sig. foundation, any tower constructed in this phase would be in a perilous state from the outset. This suggested lack of a tower for the third-century wall is mirrored at the North Gate (Harrison 1968, p. 70; 1981, p.99) and also (surprisingly) at the southeast angle of the defenses (Harrison 1968, 76 and Fig. 3). We have no way of knowing whether or not an arch existed across the gate passage in this, or in the succeeding, structural phase. The Roman town wall was itself 'robbed' at an unknown date and eventually replaced by a new wall (presumably) in the medieval period. There is no evidence for a tower in this latter phase, even though the ground surface had by this time risen to its original height or beyond.
Thanks are extended to Medway Council for allowing this short work to be published along with plan, elevation, and photograph prior to their having had any archive report from myself. They have generously funded the archaeological work. Also thanked are the many would-be volunteers who have offered their help; unfortunately, due to the nature of the site, we have not been able to use volunteer labor on this occasion. Thanks are also extended to Paul Ritson and David Tucker of Medway Council, Liz Dyson of KCC, Peter Kendall of English Heritage, and lastly, the long-suffering Mark Gibson and John Santer, respectively project manager and site agent of the repaving project, who have provided every assistance throughout.
Alan Ward Project manager 'CAT'
References:
Arnold. A. 1887. On Roman Remains Discovered in
Rochester, Archaeologia Cantiana,
Vo! xviii, p.193-195.
Detsicas A 1972. The Roman East Gate:
A Tentative Reconstruction, in Harrison
1972, p.132 .
Flight. C. and 1986. The Southern Defences of
Harrison. A.C. Medieval Rochester, Archaeologia
Cantiana, Vol.ciii, p.1-26.
Harrison. A.C. 1972 Rochester East Gate 1969, Archaeologia
Cantiana, Vol. lxxxvii p.121-157
Harrison. A.C. 1981. Rochester 1974-75, Archaeologia Cantiana,
Vol.xcvii, p.95-135.
Payne. G. 1895. Roman Rochester, Archaeologia Cantiana,
Vol. xxi, p.1-16.
Payne. G. 1915. Researches and Discoveries in Kent,
Archaeologia Cantiana, Vol.xxxi, p.275-286.
V.C.H. 1974 Victoria County History Kent
Vol. 3, p.82 (1908).
Wacher. J. 1983 The Towns of Roman Britain (1974)
