Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Romano-British cremation urns, found on a farm at Borough Green in c.1839. Some of these urns are thought to have been carried away and reburied by an individual who believed them to be unlucky. The location of their reburial was unrecorded. Nothing is thought to remain at the site due to quarrying and development works.

Monument Types

• BARROW? (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• CINERARY URN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• CREMATION (CREMATION, Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)

Full description

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On a farm in the occupation of Mr Biggs, of Borough Green,c.20 years ago, a cinerary deposit was found. Many of the urns are now in the possession of Mr Biggs of Strood and the writer saw them at the local museum at the annual meeting of the Society. Some of the urns were carried home by an old man who thinking them unlucky reburied them in his garden and dying soon afterwards, the spot of their re-interment is lost. [Sited on accompanying 1" sketch map to the area forming S.W. corner of Bororgh Green cross-roads.] (1) Similar information. (2) In a field west of Borough Green and south of the road to Ightham, cinerary urns were found c.1839. [Included in schedule of Romano- British finds.] (3) "If your brother-in-law would dig deeper in his barrow field [at Borough Green], I am sure he would be successful. The things formerly found there were of the Roman period. One of the urns, a very beautiful one, I sent to the museum at Maidstone. Did I ever tell you of the old man who was working on the farm at the time? He was livingat the public house on the left hand side of the road beyond the Baptist chapel on the road to Maidstone." [Writer repeats details of reburial of urns in garden.] [Author notes that many extracts from notes and letters re antiquities at Borough Green have been omitted from book.] (4) [TQ 60305692] Sited apparently from sketch 1" (Auty 1) (5) The urn is in Maidstone Museum. (6) The siting (A) given by Luard for this barrow falls outside the limit of Biggs Farms (see 6" for extent); the site is an excellent one but it has been built over in recent years and there is nothing to be seen. The majority of Biggs Farm has been quarried away or tipped on including the unlikely valley siting (B) for the barrow given by Auth 5. The urn given by Luard to Maidstone Museum was not traced. (7)

<1> Arch Cant 2 1859 7-8 (Maj Luard) (OS Card Reference). SKE34808.

<2> Ightham: The Story of a Kentish Village. 1907 55 (Bennett) (OS Card Reference). SKE44206.

<3> VCH Kent 3 1932 147 (OS Card Reference). SKE51032.

<4> Harrison of Ightham 1928 65 382 (letter R Luard Selby to B Harrison 8 6 1870) (OS Card Reference). SKE43726.

<5> Maidstone Mus Kent Arch Soc 6' (Sir Edward Harrison undated) (OS Card Reference). SKE46324.

<6> Oral: L R A Grove Curator Maidstone Museum, Kent (OS Card Reference). SKE48034.

<7> F1 ASP 25.06.59 (OS Card Reference). SKE42274.

<8> F2 CFW 27.02.64 (OS Card Reference). SKE43283.

<9> Field report for monument TQ 65 NW 13 - June, 1959 (Bibliographic reference). SKE3347.

<10> Field report for monument TQ 65 NW 13 - February, 1964 (Bibliographic reference). SKE3348.

Sources and further reading