Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Site of a small Roman winged corridor villa located within an orchard 1 mile south east of Plaxtol and south of Allen's Farm revealed by ploughing. Stone foundations, bath house with apsidal room, hypocausts, latrine, furnace and timber well were discovered during excavations in the 19th century and in 1986-7. Smaller finds included pottery sherds dated from the mid 1st to the mid 2nd century AD and 4th century, a bronze statuette of Minerva, an early 2nd century lead flask and tiles.

Monument Types

• BATH HOUSE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• HYPOCAUST (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• PRIVY HOUSE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• VILLA (VILLA, Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• WELL (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)

Associated Finds

• FIGURINE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• FLASK (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• TILE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• VESSEL (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)

Full description

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[TQ 61485313] Site of Roman Villa [R] (1) There is the site of a Roman Villa one mile SE of Plaxtol, a little south of Allen's Farm, on the side of a hill sloping gently to the Bourne rivulet. Prior to 1857 ploughing had revealed Roman remains, and in that year stone foundations, hypocaust material, a bronze statuette of Minerva, samian and other sherds and inscribed box-tiles were found. In 1858 Major Luard excavated an area in an ash plantation slightly to the south of the previous finds, near to the stream. Part of a building, 60 feet long, was discovered forming a bath-house with hypocausts, apsidal rooms, cold bath, a furnace and probably a latrine. Whether the building was detached is not certain but the whole formed one extensive villa. A well, of timber construction, has been explored since but yielded only black earth. Most of the finds are in Maidstone Museum. (2) Additional reference - extensive villa. A series of box-tiles is stamped Parietalem Cabriabanu and a third word probably a tense of the verb 'to make'. The samian ware covers a period from mid 1st to mid 2nd centuries but a painted vase is later - probably 4th c. (3) Early excavation report. The 1857 foundations were parallel to those found in 1858. (4) Statuette of Minerva given to Maidstone Museum. (5) Additional references to villa and tiles. (6-7) Additional references to tiles. (8) Additional references to discovery of well by owner of farm. (9) Additional reference. (10) The site of the villa is within an orchard. The ground is covered with tall grass and nettles and nothing was seen during investiation. (11) Finds from this site on display in Maidstone Museum include the bronze figurine of Minerva and an early 2nd c. lead glazed flask. Excavations by the boys of Tonbridge School c.1954 and c.1964 produced nothing that adds to the knowledge of the site. (12) TQ 6053. Bronze Minerva, Maidstone Museum. (13) Traces of bathhouse seen at TQ 61455308. (14)

Interim reports of excavations. (20-22)

Scheduling County Number KE 76 Listed as the site of a small Roman winged corridor villa.

The northern part of the area of the site is under an orchard of cob nut trees while the southern part is under rough grass and thick undergrowth. There are no surface traces of the monument.
The precise location of the villa buildings which were partially excavated in the nineteenth century was not recorded at the time although a plan of the remains was made. The published plan is believed to be that of a bath building associated with the rest of a Romano-British villa which was not identified at the time of excavation.
It is recommended that a remote sensing survey is undertaken in order to re-locate the bath building and locate the full extent of the associated main villa buildings. (19)

Archaeomagnetic dating of a tile furnace at the re-discovered villa bath-house produced a date in the mid 2nd century AD.(24)

<1> OS 6" 1936 (OS Card Reference). SKE48337.

<2> CIL VII 1238 (OS Card Reference). SKE39000.

<3> VCH Kent 3 1932 163 122 plan 123 plate XXVI inscr boxtile (OS Card Reference). SKE51087.

<4> The County Archaeologies Kent 1930 209 260 (Jessup) (OS Card Reference). SKE50326.

<5> Arch Cant 2 1859 xli 1 (Luard) (OS Card Reference). SKE34813.

<6> Arch Cant 69 1955 208 (OS Card Reference). SKE35447.

<7> Gents Mag 1857 Pt II 201 (OS Card Reference). SKE43586.

<8> Gent Mag Lib RB Rems Pt II 1887 594 (OS Card Reference). SKE43576.

<9> Collectanea Antiqua 4 1857 217 (Smith) (OS Card Reference). SKE39195.

<10> PSA 2nd S 23 1909-11 109 (Haverfield) (OS Card Reference). SKE48773.

<11> Collectanea Cantiana 1893 179 (G Payne) (OS Card Reference). SKE39209.

<12> Harrison of Ightham 1928 42 (F Harrison) (OS Card Reference). SKE43722.

<13> F1 AC 11-JUN-59 (OS Card Reference). SKE41790.

<14> Letter 20 3 64 (R A Ford Tonbridge School History and Archaeological Society) (OS Card Reference). SKE46086.

<15> F2 CFW 21-MAR-64 (OS Card Reference). SKE43265.

<16> The Religions of Civilian Roman Britain BAR 24 1976 227 and pl VIII (OS Card Reference). SKE50488.

<17> KARU Field Officer (OS Card Reference). SKE45476.

<18> Field report for monument TQ 65 SW 4 - June, 1959 (Bibliographic reference). SKE3447.

<19> Field report for monument TQ 65 SW 4 - March, 1964 (Bibliographic reference). SKE3448.

<20> Britannia 1987, vol 18, p359 (Article in serial). SKE53759.

<21> 1988, Britannia 1988, vol 19 pp484 (Article in serial). SKE53760.

<22> 1989, Britannia vol 20, 1989, pp 326 (Article in serial). SKE53761.

<23> English Heritage, English Heritage Alternative Action Report (Miscellaneous Material). SKE53762.

<24> Centre for Archaeology, 2002, Allen's Farm, Plaxtol, Kent: archaeomagnetic dating report 2002/Report No 107-2002. (Unpublished document). SKE55463.

Sources and further reading