Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Romano-British Settlement site on Station Road, Southfleet.

Monument Types

• DITCH (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• POST HOLE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• ROAD (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• SETTLEMENT (SETTLEMENT, Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• PIT (Roman - 50 AD? to 300 AD?)
• CEMETERY (Roman - 70 AD to 100 AD)
• CORN DRYING OVEN (Roman - 100 AD? to 200 AD?)
• BUILDING (Roman - 275 AD? to 400 AD?)

Associated Finds

• ANIMAL REMAINS (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• BROOCH (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• COIN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• NEEDLE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• PIN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• RING (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• SHERD (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• TILE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• CREMATION (Roman - 70 AD to 100 AD)
• HUMAN REMAINS (Roman - 70 AD to 100 AD)
• VESSEL (Roman - 70 AD to 100 AD)

Full description

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Series of flint and pebble strips orientated NW-SE. Pits and ditches associated with these features and other pits and ditches adjacent. Identified during evaluation trenching in 1991. A single inhumation burial was also discovered and left in situ. (1, 3 and 4)

A report on the geophysical survey of 1993 located a number of anomalies indicative of settlement activity, identifying two possible Roman roads with former buildings and the course of the Claudian ditch. The courses of streets and/or enclosures may still exist. (2)

Excavation on the site in 1993-4 located a metalled road, masonry building, chalk-block structure, cemetery, enclosure, ditches, gullies, pits and post-holes. Most of the contexts and features produced Roman material. (3)

A masonry building was found west of the road. The exposed section was thought to be part of a larger building of unknown total size. The area was only partially investigated and the only datable finds came from the soil over the building, these were two coins of the late 3rd and 4th century.

The cemetery consisted of a group of burials within an enclosure. The burial found during the evaluation lay outside of this area, closer to the road. Three of the burials in the cemetery were inhumations and three were cremations. The cremations and one of the inhumations probably date to the period AD 70 to 100. The first cremation had five pottery vessels, one, a samian platter (Form 18 by Pergrinus (AD 65-85)), had bones on it possibly relating to a food offering. The second cremation had five pottery vessels, a glass phial, a copper alloy pin and copper alloy and iron fittings possibly from a wooden container. This also had a samian platter (Form 18 by Vegetus (Flavian) with bones on it possibly relating to a food offering. The third cremation had four pottery vessels. The skeleton of a small bird was found with this. A copper alloy brooch was also found and the group appears to have been contained within a wooden box (evidenced by iron nails). The first of the inhumation burials had been interred in a small coffin though no bones survived. It was therefore possibly of a young child, perhaps one or two years old. The second burial was of an adult male and had no accompanying grave goods. The final inhumation burial was of an adult and was accompanied by a flagon and possibly a wooden box. There were traces of a coffin.

The corn dryer was a compact rectangular structure built of chalk blocks. This probably dated to the 2nd century after the cemetery had gone out of use.

Other features found included a large number of pits, post holes and gullies. The pits dated from the 1st century through to the 3rd. One pit contained a dog burial. The post holes were found across the site and few were excavated. Two possible fencelines were identified. Pottery from the site mainly dated from AD 60-200. Other finds included coins of late 3rd to 4th century date, two brooches, a ring, three bone needles, four bone pins and a leaf-shaped flint arrowhead. (4)

In 2010 Canterbury Archaeological Trust carried out a watching brief. Roman material was found during the work. (5)

<1> Philp, B. & Chenery, M., 1991, Springhead 1991: An Archaeological Evaluation of a Site at Southfleet, Nr Gravesend, Kent (Unpublished document). SKE11915.

<2> Geophysical Surveys of Bradford, 1993, Report on Geophysical Survey: Springhead, Kent (Unpublished document). SWX6921.

<3> Kent Archaeological Rescue Unit, 1995, Excavations At The Garden Centre, Springhead 1993-94. Assessment Report (Unpublished document). SWX6859.

<4> Kent Archaeological Rescue Unit, 1995, A Roman site at Springhead (Vagniacae) near Gravesend (Monograph). SWX6856.

<5> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 2011, Archaeological Watching Brief at Millbrook Garden Centre, Southfleet, Kent (Unpublished document). SKE25189.

Sources and further reading

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