Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Late Iron Age occupation dated from the 4th to the 2nd century BC and consisted of pits and ditches with pottery and a possible structure. A Roman cemetery including cremations and 14 3rd century inhumations, possibly in an enclosed cemetery later than the cremations was excavated. Scheduled

Monument Types

• FINDSPOT (Middle Iron Age - 400 BC to 200 BC)
• PIT (Middle Iron Age - 400 BC to 200 BC)
• DITCH (To 400 BC and From 200 BC)
• CREMATION CEMETERY (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• ENCLOSURE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• INHUMATION CEMETERY (CEMETERY, Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• SETTLEMENT? (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)

Full description

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TR 330 527 A Romano-British cemetery and Iron Age occupation site. A cemetery was recorded NW of the village during rescue excavations on road works. Groups of inhumations and cremations produced C3 pottery and evidence for substantial wooden coffins. (1) Rescue excavations at the site of Romano-British cemetery. (2) The site was completely excavated by the Dover Archaeological Group and Kent Archaeological Rescue Unit. (3) Details of the rescue excavation of 15 burials at Northbourne. (4) The site lies at the NW edge of the parish of Northbourne about one kilometere NW of the parish church. It occupies the E margin of an open field, forming part of Court Farm, immediately SW of the "mount" crossroads. It lies on the crest of a low chalk ridge, at an elevationof about 42 m, which faces N across undulating land towards the old Wantsum Channel (see illustration card no 1). The site was detected by the Dover Archaeological Group during a minor road improvement scheme.The road works continued uninterrupted alongside the archaeological work, which lasted ten days, and which jointly revealed a total of 14 burials, 3 ditches and 5 pits. The majority of features were concentrated in a zone about 25 m x 8 m (see illustration card no 1 ) where a total of 21 features were recorded. Another possible burial and 3 other uncertain features were also recorded. Out of the 14 burials 9 were certainly inhumations in rectangular graves, 3 were cremations in large storage vessels and 2 others were probably inhumations. From the plan it seems clear that the graves, if not the cremations, were carefully placed at intervals of about 2 m from each other. All the graves, except one 'no 12' were neatly cut with vertical sides, flat bases and generally well-cut corners. The majority were unusually deep with at least 4 being dug about 2 m into solid chalk and thus generally about 2.5m from present ground level. Each grave had been back-filled with soil and chalk rubble no doubt derived from the original excavation of the grave. There was some evidence of wooden coffins in 5 of the graves. Of the 11 burials excavated under satisfactory conditions, 3 were cremations and 8 inhumations. Each of the cremation-burials included a large vessel containing the cremated bones and either a small beaker or bottle, or both. Slight traces of chicken, pig and bird bones in at least 3 of the graves and 2 of the cremations suggest that food formed part of the burial ritual. Four of the graves contained no grave goods. Of the 14 individuals represented, 12 were adults, 1 an adolescent, 1 uncertain and no children. All 3 cremations were of adults (for plans of some of the burials see illustration card no 2). (Illustration cardno 3 shows the relationship of burial 7 with an earlier ditch ie cutting into the ditch. Illustration card no 4 shows sections of the ditches and some of the pits). It is clear that material of 2 distinctive periods was found on this site. The earlier is a small group of fairly indeterminate grit-loaded potsherds of Iron Age date which probably date from the C4 -C2 BC. Those found in the small pits and ditches across the site strongly suggest, but do not prove, that several of the features found date from the Pre-Roman Iron Age. The 2 possible post-holes, although of different size, may represent a structure of Iron Age date. It seems probable that the pottery and some of the features related to the presumed Iron Age ditched enclosure just to the W. This would extend the area of occupation noted from an aerial photograph. The later of the two periods represented is clearly that of a small Romano-British cemetery containing both cremations and inhumations. Mixed cemeteries such as Northbourne tend to be of C3 date. This is generally supported by the pottery recovered from the burials. Although one or two of the vesselscould date from the end of the C2 they were found in association with pottery dating from about the middle of the C3.

Additional information (6)

<1> Britannia 6 1975 283 (DR Wilson) (OS Card Reference). SKE38378.

<2> Arch Ex DOE 1974 48 (B Philp) (OS Card Reference). SKE36491.

<3> Arch Cant 91 1975 208 (TD Crellin) (OS Card Reference). SKE36052.

<4> KAR 39 Spring 1975 254 269 (E Mynott, B Philp and J Gaunt) (OS Card Reference). SKE45328.

<5> KAR 52 1978 30-49 plans illusts (B Philp M Harman) (OS Card Reference). SKE45360.

<6> English Heritage, Register of Scheduled Monuments (Scheduling record). SKE16191.

Sources and further reading