Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

A Roman cremation cemetery consisting of numerous cinerary urns was found at Borough Green in 1899. The burials date from c AD 100.

Monument Types

• CEMETERY (CREMATION, Roman - 43 AD to 100 AD)

Associated Finds

• HUMAN REMAINS (Roman - 43 AD to 100 AD)
• LAMP (Roman - 43 AD to 100 AD)
• SHERD (Roman - 43 AD to 100 AD)
• URN (Roman - 43 AD to 100 AD)

Full description

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[TQ 60915756] Cemy [GS] (Site of) (1) Borough Green - A Roman cemetery at the great clay and sand pit just north of the Wrotham Station of the London, Chatham and Dover railway, part of the brickmaking works. Apparently groups of pottery have been found and destroyed by the workmen on removing the surface soil for some years. In October 1899, G. Payne saw at the office 16 Roman pots including four cinerary urns containing calcined bones, five paterae, four Upchurch ware pots and pseudo-samian and red ware. There were also fragments of cinerary urns of an earlier period which together with the calcined bones found in them were in Benj Harrison's possession. According to the workmen the sepulchral deposits occurred in lines c 6ft. apart and 2 feet deep. (2) Verbatim Sim. infm. (3) Add ref. The pottery in Rochester Museum includes five samian dishes, one of form 35 or 36 and a samian cup; "..and parts of much earlier and much ruder cinerary urns with calcined bones." (4) Sir Edw. Harrison reports the discovery of sherds of large Belgic and 'Patchgrove' vessels in a sand-pit a few hundred yards north west of Borough Green railway station. (5) Sitings to area of published symbol, of Ro. cemy. (6) ['C' TQ 60825752] "R.B. interrments October 1899". [Reference to authorities 2 and 3] (7) ['A'] : [TQ 6089 5753] Halstatt ware (Haematite coated) (8) A bowl of gritted ware found whilst removing top soil in Borough Green Sandpit which formed part of the brickmaking works of Messrs. Cooper in March 1921. The bowl stood on a large flint nodule and contained wood charcoal. When taken off the flint, the bowl collapsed. In Maidstone Museum. Other pottery from this site presented to the Museum by F.W. Shilling is of "haematite-coated" burnished red ware dated as Halstatt, circa 500 B.C. (9) In Maidstone Museum are two type III Roman pottery lamps and a flask of grey coated ware from 'Roman graves at Borough Green' (a) some haematite-coated Halstatt ware presented by F.W. Shilling, and a 2nd c. Poppy-head beaker found 'North of Borough Green Railway Station' but with no further information on date of find or exact provenance. This latter (Acc. No. 28-1956) was with the late Sir Edward Harrison's collection which came to Maidstone Museum in 1956 but the Belgic ware from this pit noted by him in 1948 (auth. 5) was not included and its present whereabouts was not ascertained. The pit manager, Mr. Washford could not help on any of these finds although he did remember Shilling as a regular visitor. (10) At least 3 cremation burials, date c.100 AD, (a) were found at TQ 60995756 when the hedge of Miss E Hills house was cut back during road widening in 1953. The pottery, which is on exhibition at Wrotham County Secondary School, includes a poppy-head beaker, a small rouletted vase, a flagon, portions of 2 samian paterae and the base of 2 large urns, one with bones. (11)

<1> Maidstone Museum 6" (A Warhurst Arch Asst undated) (OS Card Reference). SKE46358.

<2> OS 6" 1936 (OS Card Reference). SKE48337.

<3> Arch Cant 24 1900 lvii (G Payne) (OS Card Reference). SKE34873.

<4> PSA 2nd S 18 1899-1901 81 (OS Card Reference). SKE48769.

<5> VCH Kent 3 1932 147 (OS Card Reference). SKE51032.

<6> Arch Cant Vol 61 1948 xliv (OS Card Reference). SKE36409.

<7> Rec 6" (E Harrison 1928) (OS Card Reference). SKE49024.

<8> Maidstone Mus Kent Arch Soc 6" Anon undated (OS Card Reference). SKE46327.

<9> Maidstone Museum Kent Arch Soc 6" Anon Undated FW Shilling 1921 (OS Card Reference). SKE46473.

<10> Maidstone Museum Arch Gazetteer MS in progress (OS Card Reference). SKE46425.

<11> Arch Cant 19 2 1892 9 (OS Card Reference). SKE34795.

<13> Oral: Miss E Hills "Bethel" High St Borough Green (OS Card Reference). SKE48053.

<14> F2 CFW 03.03.64 (OS Card Reference). SKE43201.

<15> BAR 24 The Religions of Civilian Ro Brit 1976 227 (M Green) (OS Card Reference). SKE37518.

<16> Field report for monument TQ 65 NW 17 - March, 1964 (Bibliographic reference). SKE3352.

Sources and further reading