Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

A series of Roman ritual animal burials, consisting of dogs were found in the 1950's. A selection of 2nd to 4th century pottery was found in the Upchurch area.

Monument Types

• BURIAL (BURIAL, Roman - 100 AD to 399 AD)

Associated Finds

• ANIMAL REMAINS (Roman - 100 AD to 399 AD)
• SHERD (Roman - 100 AD to 399 AD)

Full description

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[TQ 8586 7028] Three pots, each containing charcoal and the bones of young dogs, were found, 1950-1, within 25 feet of each other c.220 feet from the Slay Hill sea wall and 100 feet from the Strayway. They had been partially uncovered by the tide. See AO/58/60/3. (1) A fourth pot, containing charcoal and the bones of a puppy, was found February 1953 by Mr M. Webb some 40-50 feet SE of the other three. The pot is so similar to two of those found before that they are probably the work of the same potter. (2) In October 1955 I found three more pots containing puppy bones and charcoal. They were buried on a N-S line at intervals of 3.55 feet and at c 5.55 feet below the present surface. All 7 pots were found within the same small area. 6 of them are late C2 and almost certainly products of the same kiln, but the seventh appears to be a C3rd or C4th type and may have been buried later than the rest. In February 1956 fragments of another olla, of the same type as most of the others, were found crushed in the mud but no bones or charcoal remained. These are probably ritual burials. A pit 300 yards E of the puppy burials contained a carinated beaker (1st half of C2 AD) and the bones of an adult bitch and two new born puppies. A C2 pit c 150 yards S of the burials included the remains of another adult dog. (3) Nothing visible in the area indicated. Mud flats below high water mark. (4) F.J. Webb, the late owner of this marsh, discovered a similar urn to Humes' No 2 about this position in the 1930's. It also contained ashes and puppy bones (5). Additional references (6-10). For site in context with others in inter-tidal zone, see (11) and photograph of the animal burial (12).Historic England archive material: AO58/60/3 POTTERY FOUND 1950-1 CONTAINING BONES (AND ASHES) OF DOGS

<1> Arch Cant 64 1951 169-71 illus (I and A N Hume) (OS Card Reference). SKE35381.

<2> Arch Cant 69 1955 198-9 (I and A N Hume) (OS Card Reference). SKE35442.

<3> Arch Cant 70 1956 160-7 illus (I and A N Hume) (OS Card Reference). SKE35467.

<4> F1 CFW 14-AUG-63 (OS Card Reference). SKE42567.

<5> Sgn Cdr P H Ker Gray 'Frankfield' Farnham Lane Haslemere Surrey (OS Card Reference). SKE49447.

<6> F2 CFW 10-NOV-64 (OS Card Reference). SKE43218.

<7> Field report for monument TQ 87 SE 18 - August, 1963 (Bibliographic reference). SKE4666.

<8> Field report for monument TQ 87 SE 18 - November, 1964 (Bibliographic reference). SKE4667.

<9> Hume, I. N., 1956, Ritual Burials on the Upchurch Marshes (Article in serial). SWX7457.

<10> Anon, 1955, Ritual deposits on the Upchurch marshes (Article in serial). SWX9366.

<11> Department of Archaeology, University of Reading, 1994, Inter-tidal archaeology in Kent, p24 (Unpublished document). SWX9353.

<12> POTTERY FOUND 1950-1 CONTAINING BONES (AND ASHES) OF DOGS Types: POTTERY/ANIMAL BURIAL (Photograph). SKE198.

Sources and further reading