Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

During excavations near the church of St. Martin Le Grand in 1950 a series of Roman walls and floors were located. After the orderly succession of building and rebuilding in the Roman period on the first and second phases of this site, the occupation is disrupted by some disaster represented by burnt timbers, broken pieces of painted wall plaster and lumps of opus signinum (location accurate to the nearest 10m based on available information).

Monument Types

• BUILDING (Roman - 130 AD? to 199 AD?)

Associated Finds

• SHERD (Roman - 150 AD? to 199 AD?)
• STRUCTURAL TIMBER (Roman - 175 AD? to 200 AD?)
• WALL PLASTER (Roman - 175 AD? to 200 AD?)

Full description

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Excavation in 1950 at a war damaged site to the west of Market Square, near the Church of St. Martin Le Grand revealed the principal part of two Roman rooms. After the orderly succession of building and rebuilding in the Roman period, which is apparent in the first two phases of this sites development, there is a layer of debris representing the some kind of disaster at this site and which has been attributed to its third phase. In this phase Rooms A, B and C are filled with debris probably coming from the room above including burnt timbers, broken pieces of painted wall plaster and sherds and lumps of opus signinum. The pottery in these levels are of a late second century type suggesting that this phase of destruction was in the last years of the second century. (1)


(Located to the site of Church of St. Martin-Le-Grand) Roman and Medieval finds. In 1946 an area was excavated in Dover under the direction of Mrs Murray - Threipland. This site towards the western side of the suggested Roman fortress, and south of that of St Martin's le Grand, showed some 7ft down a road probably 22ft wide running north and south with two shallow gutters dividing it up into three carriage- ways. This was flanked on the east by a wall of squared chalk blocks still preserved to a height of some four feet, although cut into by medieval pits. Two periods of walling join this wall at right angles, and, from their nature, indicate perhaps a row of shops or barracks, with clay floors and unplastered walls. In one place a few tiles and stones laid down in a scattering of cement gave a firmer footing. The finds of pottery and small objects point to the occupation of the above rooms in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. The later levels must have been destroyed by the medieval builders for 4th century material occurs frequently at their tips in this area. Among the more important objects is an enamel brooch, while a good deal of the medieval pottery is especially welcome as much is identical with similar fabrics found at the site of the medieval town of Stonar, near Sandwich. (2)

<1> L. Murray Threipland, 1957, Archaeologia Cantiana, Excavations in Dover Vol. 71 (Article in serial). SKE31703.

<2> W. P. D. Stebbing, 1947, Archaeologia Cantiana: Reports. Vol. 60 (Article in serial). SKE32109.

<2> 1975, Post-medieval archaeology: the journal of the Society for Post-Medieval Archaeology (Article in serial). SKE53697.

Sources and further reading