Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

In excavations in 1872, the remains of an attached Roman bath house were uncovered. In 1991 emergency work on a sewer revealed Roman debris associated with a large building. A 1.5m trench uncovered 4 wall lines, three of which had been robbed out. The remaining wall was built of local ragstone, rendered with mortar and finished with a thin skin of painted wall-plaster. Next to this wall, which appeared to be the outer wall of the structure, was a well preserved floor of opus signinum which had been overlain with tiles in a loose mortar matrix. A possible courtyard was also found made of small ragstone chippings set in clay.

Finds included imbrex and tegula, pottery sherds, animal bones, shells and painted plaster. The site suggests a fairly substantial building, possibly linked to the 1872 bath-house find.

Monument Types

• ROBBER TRENCH (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• BATHS (Roman - 100 AD? to 409 AD?)
• HYPOCAUST (Well preserved Opus signinum, Roman - 100 AD? to 409 AD? (at some time))
• VILLA (Roman - 100 AD? to 409 AD?)

Associated Finds

• ANIMAL REMAINS (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• IMBREX (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• POT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• TEGULA (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• COIN (Roman - 98 AD to 117 AD)

Full description

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The remains of a Roman villa can be traced in the hop-gardens of Arthur Fremling of Teston. The villa was situated on the crest of a gently sloping valley looking over the river. The foundations of the baths have been discovered and comprise a furnace with stoke-hole, two hypocaust rooms, a semi-circular bath and other rooms. Potsherds found include Upchurch and Caistor ware, and a few Roman. coins and a quantity of stags' horns and animal bones have been found. Finds exhibited included a bone pin and fragments of window-glass. (1)

Sim. infm. Part excavated 1872. (2)

[TQ 69795316] This villa more likely to be c. 100 yds. to west of find spot of Neolithic axe [TQ 65 SE 20 - TQ 69895316]; wide scattering of Roman tiles, and fragments of pottery found about this point June 1953. Silver denarius of Trajan found in this field [field to south centred TQ 698530] In Maidstone Mus. 1954. (3-4)

At a meeting of the Assoc. on May 22nd, 1872, the Rev. J M Mayhew, exhibited Roman tiles with impressions of animal feet found "on the banks of the Medway near Fairleigh . Excavations have already laid bare the remains of an extensive tile work." Further infm. would be given to the Assoc. On June 12th the Rev. Mayhew reported that there was "... excavation in progress on the Medway near Telson [prob. an error for Teston] and two chambers of a Roman dwelling had been cleared.." A rough sketch-plan was exhibited. On Nov. 27th Mr. J W Grover read a paper on "A Roman villa at Teston."[Authy 1 above] (5)

[TQ 69785316] This Roman villa is situated on the crest of a gentle slope on the N. bank of the River Medway at the height of 90 ft. O.D. Its site, which falls within an orchard, is indicated by a scatter of brick, tile and much stone. No evidence of a tilery was seen. Site surveyed on 25" A.M. (7)

No further evidence was gained on the exact find-spot of the denarius of Trajan. It is thought to have been found by a Mr. Worsley of Teston some 30 years ago (b) but Worsley has been dead many years and his family have moved away: the present farmer has only been in occupation for 3 years. The Maidstone Museum. Acc. No. is 123:54. (8)

In 1991 emergency work on a sewer uncovered Roman building debris. A 1.5m trench was excavated revealing four wall lines, three of which represented by robber trenches. The remaining wall was made up of local ragstone rendered with brown mortar and faced with a thin skin of painted plaster. Next to this wall, which seems to be the main outer wall of a structure, was a well preserved opus signinum floor immediately overlain by tiles in a loose mortar matrix. A possible courtyard area was also found made up of small ragstone chippings set in clay.

Finds recovered included imbrex and tegula, pottery shreds, animal bone and shells along with painted plaster.. The evidence suggests a fairly large building with in situ walls, floors, courtyards and robbed walls along a length of 40m. It is not clear if the building is part of the one located in 1872, but seems likely. The remains discovered in 1872 appear to comprise an attached bathhouse complex which, with the 1991 structure, formed part of a larger complex. (14)

Additional bibliography. (9 - 13)

Aerial photographs of 2003 show faint parchmarks of rectilinear structures c.50m to the north of the area investigated in 1991. They appear to be on the same alignment as the earlier features uncovered. Additional darker cropmarks in the same field 70m to the east of the 1991 investigations may also relate to structures.

In 2012 a resistivity survey of two areas within the field south of earlier discoveries and east of the sewage works found possible traces of additional buildings. (15)

Additional surveying in 2013 fonud further possible traces of buildings. (16)

<1> JBAA 29 1873 45-7 71 (J W Grover) plan (OS Card Reference). SKE44928.

<2> Page, W. (ed), 1932, The Victoria History of the Counties of England: Kent Volume III, V C H Kent 3 1932 125 126 plan (Monograph). SKE7810.

<3> Maidstone Mus Office 6" (A Warhurst - undated) (OS Card Reference). SKE46330.

<4> Maidstone Mus office 6" (L R A Grove - undated) F1 CFW 07 05 59 (OS Card Reference). SKE46331.

<5> JBAA 28 1872 273 282 397 (OS Card Reference). SKE44923.

<6> Page, W. (ed), 1932, The Victoria History of the Counties of England: Kent Volume III, VCH Kent 3 1932 page 154 (Monograph). SKe7810.

<7> F2 AC 13.07.59 (OS Card Reference). SKE43056.

<8> Mr F Latter, Oral Mr F Latter "The Cabin" Malling Road Teston, Oral Mr F Latter "The Cabin" Malling Road Teston (Unpublished document). SKE7906.

<9> F3 CFW 12.02.64 (OS Card Reference). SKE43382.

<10> Arch Cant 89 1974 206 (M A Ocock) (OS Card Reference). SKE35975.

<12> Field report for monument TQ 65 SE 19 - February, 1964 (Bibliographic reference). SKE3432.

<13> JBBA vol 29 (OS Card Reference). SKE45018.

<14> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 1992, Archaeological Evaluation at Teston, Maidstone, Kent, CAT Report 1991 (Unpublished document). SKE7905.

<15> David Staveley, 2012, A Geophysical Survey on Teston Roman Villa (Unpublished document). SKE17573.

<16> David Staveley, 2013, A Geophysical Survey on Teston Roman Villa (Unpublished document). SKE25171.

Sources and further reading

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