Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

The site of St. Martin's Church, New Romney, is a little northward of the Church of St. Nicholas see and is now part of the vicar's glebe. The church, mentioned as an oratory (AD 740-41) was subservient to St. Nicholas by or before the mid 13th century. It was in a state of decay in 1511 and its destruction was authorised in 1549. The site of this church falls within a playing field; there is nothing to be seen on the ground. (location accurate to the nearest 1m based on available information)

Monument Types

• CHURCH (Demolished, Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon to Post Medieval - 900 AD? to 1549 AD)
• CEMETERY (Medieval to Post Medieval - 1066 AD to 1549 AD)

Full description

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[TR 06462493] St. Martin's Church [NR] (Site of) (1) The site of St. Martin's Church, New Romney, is a little northward of the Church of St. Nicholas see [TR 02 SE 1] and is now part of the vicar's glebe. The church, mentioned as an oratory (AD 740-41) was subservient to St. Nicholas by or before the mid 13th century. It was in a state of decay in 1511 and its destruction was authorised in 1549. (2) The site of this church falls within a playing field; there is nothingto be seen on the ground. (3) Eadbriht's charter of A.D. 741 refers to the existence of an oratory dedicated to St. Martin. (4) St. Martin's church stood on the green at the corner of the present Ashford Road and Fairfield Road, and was built in the 10th century when the town was founded. (5)

Between 2005 and 2007 Canterbury Archaeological trust carried out a watching brief during sewer trenching. Two, possibly three, walls were found running parallel to the line of Ashford Road. These could have formed part of the boundary wall of the churchyard. (6)

In 2005 and 2006 an excavation took place in the area. The presence of forty-eight inhumation burials representing part of the cemetry associated with St Martin's Church. Other features within the cemetry area include extensive pitting associated with the disposal of domestic refuse, cess and demolition materials, along with animal bones. A series of post-holes may hint at some structural elements. (7)

A geophysical assessment of ‘St Martins Field’, a green situated north behind New Romney High Street, was undertaken in 2010 to establish the location of St Martin’s Church, long thought to lie beneath the field. Feature 4 was interpreted as St Martin's Church. It was noted that the church, indicated by linear structural material enclosing the site of a former elliptical pond, towards the centre of the field, appears to have had most of its internal fabric robbed or dugout with the exception of the western extremity. Here an area of approximately 12m east-west by 14m north south, indicates a possible vestibule and potential tower foundation. (8)

<1> OS 6" 1906-38 (OS Card Reference). SKE48316.

<2> Arch Cant 13 1880 238-41 (WA Scott Robertson) (OS Card Reference). SKE34690.

<3> F1 CFW 15-MAR-1963 (OS Card Reference). SKE42591.

<4> Arch J 78 1921 226 (FC Elliston Enwood) (OS Card Reference). SKE36682.

<5> Arch Cant 88 1973 119 (EW Parkin) (OS Card Reference). SKE35923.

<6> Field report for monument TR 02 SE 2 - March, 1963 (Bibliographic reference). SKE5057.

<6> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 2008, The New Romney and Greatstone First Time Sewerage Scheme Pipeline watching brief, New Romney, Kent: Archaeological Assessment Report (Unpublished document). SKE18126.

<7> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 2010, New Romney and Greatstone First Time Sewerage Scheme: Archaeological Excavation at St Martin's Field, New Romney, Kent: Draft Assessment Report (Unpublished document). SKE29473.

<8> Sub Scan South-East, 2010, St Martins Church, New Romney, Kent, Geophysical earth resistance Survey (Unpublished document). SKE31625.

Sources and further reading