Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Site of walled Romano-British cemetery first excavated in 1842 by Taylor Smythe which he recorded as containing a number of cremation burials including a two stone tombs, one circular and the other square. In October 1998, prior to development, the site was completely excavated. It was found that apart from the circular tomb the remaining stone features had been robbed out after the 1842 excavation. A further four cremation burials were found to the north west of the walled cemetery. In association with the remains of the stone features were fragments of glass vessels and pottery. Fragments of red and white painted wall plaster were also found. The date of finds associated with the cemetery range from the early 1st century AD to the mid 3rd century AD.

Monument Types

• WALLED CEMETERY (CEMETERY, Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)

Associated Finds

• BOWL (Late Iron Age to Roman - 42 AD to 199 AD)
• BRICK (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• CREMATION (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• TEGULA (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• WALL PAINTING (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• VESSEL (Roman - 50 AD? to 120 AD?)
• CUP (Roman - 100 AD to 200 AD)
• POT (Roman - 101 AD? to 250 AD?)
• CUP (Roman - 175 AD to 250 AD)

Full description

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[TQ 77655220] Roman Walled Cemetery [R] (Site of) (NAT) (1) The remains of a Roman cemetery excavated in 1842 consisted of a rectangular wall 77 by 88 feet enclosing the foundations of two towers, one square and the other round, together with seven cremations burials, two of them in cists. Pottery, glass and bronze vessels, iron lamps and two amphorae were found and are now in the Charles Museum at Maidstone [Maidstone Museum and Art Gallery]. (2,3 and 10) The site falls within an orchard. Nothing of significance was seen. (4) Checked and correct. (5)

A 1996 evaluation by SEAS, now ASE, found two trenches of Roman date thought to be part of a field system, later identified as part of the walled cemetery. (8)

Excavation prior to development in October-November 1998 allowed the whole site of the walled cemetery to be excavated. The site of the cemetery measured 23m (ne-sw) by 26m (nw-se) Sections of the robber cut were excavated and confirmed that the outer walls and internal funerary monuments, with the exception of the circular tomb, had been thoroughly robbed following the 1842 investigations by Taylor Smythe. The robber cut fill consisted of small fragments of ragstone with some fragments of painted wall plaster. The remains of the circular tower comprised a semi-circular structure of mortared ragstone fragments. Some fragements of painted wall plaster, red and white, found in association with this and the robbed out remains of other features.

Lying outside the cemetery and to the NW were four cremation burials, one of which had a base lined with three flat fragments of greensand.

No evidence of Taylor Smythe's "site of fires" was found.

Several other pits were found within the cemetery and although they do not corresponde to any features known from 1842 they probably relate to some form of activity taking place within the cemetery. (9)

<1> OS 6" 1933-37 (OS Card Reference). SKE48336.

<2> Arch Cantiana 15 1883 76-80 (OS Card Reference). SKE36485.

<2> Arch Cantiana 15 1883 81-88 (C T Smythe) (OS Card Reference). SKE36486.

<3> JBAA 22 1959 26 27 plan (R F Jessup) (OS Card Reference). SKE44914.

<4> F1 ASP 24-Nov-61 (OS Card Reference). SKE42267.

<5> F2 ASP 23-JAN-64 (OS Card Reference). SKE43155.

<6> Field report for monument TQ 75 SE 2 - November, 1961 (Bibliographic reference). SKE3948.

<7> Field report for monument TQ 75 SE 2 - January, 1964, 1996 Evaluation by SEAS (now ASE) (Bibliographic reference). SKE3949.

<8> South-Eastern Archaeological Services, 1996, Evaluation of land adjacent to Pested Bars Road, Boughton Monchelsea (Unpublished document). SKE7513.

<9> Museum of London Archaeology Service, 1998, Land adjacent to Pested Bars Road, Boughton Monchelsea, Maidstone, Kent: A Post-Excavation and Update Project Design, 1998 Excavation by MoLAS (Unpublished document). SKE7521.

<10> British Archaeological Association, 1847, Proceedings of the Association, January 7, 1846, 86 (Article in serial). SKE24801.

Sources and further reading