Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

The remains of a Christian church are visible in the eastern side of the fortified area of Richborough castle near to its southern corner. The exposed foundations show that it was a small east-west aligned rectangular building consisting of a small square chancel, narrow nave and western porticus. The church is dated to the 7th AD century and it was substantially rebuilt in the early Norman period when a semi-circular apse was added to the east end. The church was demolished in the 17th century. South of the church are the remains of an inhumation cemetery used from the 7th to the 9th century AD

Monument Types

• CHURCH (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 600 AD to 899 AD)
• INHUMATION CEMETERY (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 600 AD to 899 AD)

Full description

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A Christian church at the eastern side of the fortified area of Richborough castle and near to its southern corner (see plan 2) are the remains of a chapel beside which was a graveyard in which were found many Anglo-Saxon coins covering reigns from Offa of Mercia "757-96" and Edwald of East Anglia, who is unkown except for his coins, to Cnut "King of England, 1016-35". The chapel is mentioned in several Kentish wills and is termed the chapel of St. Augustine in one dated 1475. The tradition that Augustine landed at Richbourgh goes back to William Thorne, a 14th century monk at St. Augustine's Abbey, Canterbury; but Bede records only that he landed in the Isle of Thanet. (The chapel measured) nearly 60ft in overall length consisting of a rectangular chancel, a wider rectangular nave and a small western annexe, all with walls about 2ft. thick. The chapel waslater enlarged and given a semicircular apse, but no precise date could be fixed for any of the separate periods. (1)(2)

The remains of the chapel of St. Augustine. A medieval legend relates that St. Augustine landed in Richborough on his way to meet Ethelbert, King of Kent, in 597, and in former days a stone was shown to pious pilgrims which was reputed to retain the print of his feet, the chapel being built to preserve the relic. The building was originally rectangular, consisting of a chancel with an annexe at the western end. The semi-circular apse was added later. There was a graveyard near and many skeletons were found as well as Saxon coins. (3)

Magnetometer, resistivity and magnetic susceptibitilty surveys undertaken over a 18.7ha area, at Richborough, Kent. The magnetometer survey revealed a complex pattern of settlement activity, roadways and enclosures. Ribbon development along Watling Street accounted for a greater density of readings in that area, whereas weaker responses seem to be associated with an outlying field system. The limit of the settlement was not defined, so further survey work is recommended. (4)

A Saxon Shore fort, Roman port and associated remains at Richborough. Scheduled. (5)

<1> AS Archit 3 1978 752 771 1075 1110 (HM Taylor) (OS Card Reference). SKE37373.

<2> CBA Res Rep 18 1977 plan (DE Johnston) (OS Card Reference). SKE38794.

<3> MOW Richborough Castle 1961 1-12 plan (JP Bushe-Fox) (OS Card Reference). SKE47360.

<4> English Heritage, 2001, Richborough, Kent: Report on Geophysical Surveys, September 2001 (Unpublished document). SKE13689.

<5> English Heritage, Register of Scheduled Monuments (Scheduling record). SKE16191.

Sources and further reading