Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

An unusual burial was found in 1847 in a stone quarry, Allington. A pit had been dug, lined with prepared clay and then baked by a fire within the pit. The pit contained a skeleton of an individual of c.70 years old; the bones were not burnt. A dome of clay on wattles had been made over the pit and baked by fire, and a layer of stones placed over the dome. There were no associated objects. This has been referred to as a Roman "tile tomb". The site falls within a gravel pit which has been refilled with waste.

Monument Types

• BURIAL (BURIAL, Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• CIST (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)

Associated Finds

• HUMAN REMAINS (Roman - 43 AD? to 409 AD)
• UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT (Roman - 43 AD? to 409 AD)

Full description

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[TQ 74995722] Roman Cemetery [R] (Site of) [NAT] (1) An unusual burial was found on the 10th December 1847 in a stone quarry, Allington, c. 100 yards west of the RB villa-site. [TQ 75 NE 20] A pit had been dug into a bed of loam between two veins of ragstone, the bottom and sides lined with prepared clay and then baked by a strong fire within the pit. The corpse had been placed in the pit with the knees slightly raised and bent and the head inclined into the chest with a quantity of moss under and about it. A dome of prepared clay on wattles was then made over the pit and baked by fire.A layer of stones, a foot thick, was placed over the dome and earth to ground level. The skeleton was that of an individual of c.70 yearsold. The bones were not burnt. There were no associated objects. [Auth. suggests the burial to be RB based on the proximity of the villa.] (2) Add. refs. as a Roman "tile tomb". (3-5) Probably EIA immediately pre-Roman. A fragment of the tomb material is in Maidstone Mus. (6) Ro. cemetery [refs. Authy 2] (7) The tomb fragment [Auth. 6 mentions] is in Maidstone Museum. (8) There is no evidence to show that more than one burial was found at this spot. (9) The siting by Authority 1 falls within a gravel pit which has been completely refilled with waste. Fragments of the clay cist are in store in Maidstone Museum. (No accession number). (10)

<1> OS 6" 1936-47 (OS Card Reference). SKE48342.

<2> JBAA 4 1849 65 (Beale-Poste) (OS Card Reference). SKE44963.

<3> Arch Cant 15 1883 68 (OS Card Reference). SKE34738.

<4> A Saunter thro' Kent 3 1905 76 (OS Card Reference). SKE32838.

<5> Arch Cant 2 1877 116 (OS Card Reference). SKE34815.

<6> VCH Kent 3 1932 144 (OS Card Reference). SKE51020.

<7> Maidstone Mus Office 6" (LRA Grove 1950) (OS Card Reference). SKE46332.

<8> Oral LRA Grove Curator Maidstone Mus (OS Card Reference). SKE47942.

<9> F1 ASP 14.05.59 (OS Card Reference). SKE42089.

<10> F2 ASP 27.05.59 (OS Card Reference). SKE43176.

<11> F3 ASP 26.02.64 (OS Card Reference). SKE43377.

<12> Field report for monument TQ 75 NW 2 - May, 1959 (Bibliographic reference). SKE3843.

<13> Field report for monument TQ 75 NW 2 - May, 1959 (Bibliographic reference). SKE3844.

<14> Field report for monument TQ 75 NW 2 - February, 1964 (Bibliographic reference). SKE3845.

Sources and further reading