Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Twelve Romano-British pits, found in 1899/1900 during the laying of foundations for Budden and Biggs Brewery at Strood. Location was some 150 feet north of the Roman road and the same distance east of the parish church. All were filled with rich dark earth, and yielded an abundant amount of Roman materials. Finds included pottery, coins, nails, two knives, two keys, a finger ring, a stud with ornamented head, fragments of glass vessels, part of a quern, some bone pins, portions of roof tiles and various animal remains.

Monument Types

• CESS PIT (Roman - 200 AD? to 299 AD?)
• HUMAN REMAINS (Roman - 200 AD? to 299 AD?)
• PIT (Roman - 200 AD? to 299 AD?)
• RITUAL SHAFT (Roman - 200 AD? to 299 AD?)

Associated Finds

• ANIMAL REMAINS (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• COIN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• KEY (LOCKING) (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• KNIFE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• NAIL (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• PIN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• POTTERY ASSEMBLAGE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• QUERN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• RING (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• ROOF TILE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• STUD (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• VESSEL (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)

Full description

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(TQ 73596932) Twelve Romano-British pits, both square and round, having an average diameter of 4 feet and a depth of 10 feet, were found in 1899/1900 during the laying of foundations for the brewery of Budden and Biggs at Strood, about 150 feet north of the Roman road and the same distance east of the parish church. All were filled with rich dark earth, and yielded towards their bases an abundant amount of Roman remains, as follows:
a. Pottery, including pseudo-Samian, Durobrivian and Upchurch ware.
b. A few coins and minor objects of iron and bronze including nails, two knives, two keys, a finger ring and a stud with an ornamented head.
c. Fragments of glass vessels, part of a quern, some bone pins and portions of roof tiles.
d. Remains of oxen, pigs, dogs and deer.
e. In one of the pits, a human skeleton. The pits "cannot be regarded as ordinary rubbish pits, but were probably 'latrinae' for the use of the public..." (1)

Sited on the above evidence to TQ 73606931. The brewery is now a storage depot of Ind Coope and no further information was obtained there. (2)

Ritual pits. (3)

Additional Info. Brewery now the site of a Safeways store. Features dated to the 3rd century. (4,5)

<1> PSA 2nd Series 18 1899-1901 78-81 (G Payne) (OS Card Reference). SKE48818.

<2> F1 CFW 19-DEC-64 (OS Card Reference). SKE42649.

<3> Studies in Ancient Europe (ed Coles & Simpson) 1968 273 (A Ross) (OS Card Reference). SKE49700.

<4> Field report for monument TQ 76 NW 24 - December, 1964 (Bibliographic reference). SKE4092.

<5> Ward, Alan, 1992, The Archaeological Implications of the Strood Ring Road (Unpublished document). SKE11876.

Sources and further reading