Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Seven Roman urns, found 1881 during clay digging operations on the saltings north of Rainham Creek. The urns were found forming a circular pattern and three had covers on them. One of these 'covers' was an imitation Samian patera with an attempt at a potter's stamp. The urns contained burnt human remains and one included long human hair. The present location of these artefacts is now uncertain.

Monument Types

• CINERARY URN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)

Associated Finds

• CINERARY URN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• PATERA (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)

Full description

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[TQ 8218 6941] Romano-British interments found January 1881. (1) "Seven Roman vessels were discovered in January, 1881, by men who were digging clay from the "Saltings" on the north side of Rainham Creek, between Bartlett Ness and Nor Marsh. They were 20ft. from the water's edge, standing on a level in an upright position, and in the form of a circle about 3ft. in diameter, at a depth from the surface of 10-14ft. Three of the urns had covers on them." (one an imitation of a Samian patera with an attempt at a potter's stamp), "and these contained calcined human remains. At the bottom of the largest of the three urns was some long human hair." I have the urns but their contents were lost. (2) Additional reference. (3) Owing to extremely difficult conditions this site could not be visited. Surgeon Commander Gray, who has visited the site under better conditions in the summer months, states that no signs of pottery or burials were noticed. Present whereabouts of finds not ascertained (4). Additional reference (5). For site in context with others in inter-tidal zone, see (6).

<1> Pte 6" (Kent Arch Soc 1950) (OS Card Reference). SKE48860.

<2> Arch Cant 15 1883 108-110 illust (H Wood) (OS Card Reference). SKE34725.

<3> VCH Kent 3 1932 164 (OS Card Reference). SKE51088.

<5> Field report for monument TQ 86 NW 5 - November, 1951 (Bibliographic reference). SKE4561.

<6> Department of Archaeology, University of Reading, 1994, Inter-tidal archaeology in Kent, p24 (Unpublished document). SWX9353.

Sources and further reading