Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

The remains of a Roman wall were found by workmen in A.D. in the late 19th century. At the time it was thought that this wall was part of a larger Roman building. The remains of a roman villa were also reported during the cutting of a grave. Further Roman building materials have been reported at various times. In 1959 during work to dig graves to the north east of the church several Roman bricks were found. These also appeared to be part of a wall. Excavation on this 'wall' in 1963 found nothing but a natural outcrop of chalk containing a thin layer of gravel. No further evidence of a Roman building has been reported.

Monument Types

• WALL (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)

Associated Finds

• BRICK (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• SHERD (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• TILE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)

Full description

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'A' [TQ 7097 6650] Roman Foundations found A.D. 1860-95 [T.I.] (1) Workmen, digging beneath the carriage-drive of the Rectory, Cuxton cut through a wall, 3' thick, built of chalk concreted together with hard Roman mortar. The late Mr. Roach Smith and myself both detected what must have been a continuation of this wall in the bank on the side of the drive, and since then much debris of a Roman building has been found just above in the new churchyard. (2) "When St. John Hope's first wife was buried in Cuxton churchyard, the head of the coffin came next to a Roman Wall. The grave was dug, as Mr. Hope judged at the time, through the floor of a Roman Villa". (3) Roman foundations with debris of masonry and fragments of pottery and tiles, have been found in the northern corner of Cuxton Grave Yard from 1860 to the present time. (4) [TQ 7099 6647 - 'B'] "In 1959, whilst digging graves in the courtyard NE of the church several Ro. bricks (identified by Rochester Museum) were found about 1' 6" below the ground level. The ground had evidently at some time been made up but the bricks appeared to be part of a wall running in a N.E. direction from the church". (5) Excavation 1963 on the supposed wall in the S. bank of the drive proved it to be a natural outcrop of chalk containing a thin layer of gravel. To date no further evidence of the Roman building had come to light. (6) Archive material (7-15)

<1> O.S. 6" 1938-39 (OS Card Reference). SKE47827.

<2> Arch. Cant. Vol. 25, 1902, p. lxvi1 (G. Payne) (OS Card Reference). SKE37087.

<3> Maidstone Museum Gazetteer J.E. Titmuss 11.10.51 (OS Card Reference). SKE46467.

<4> Rev. O.N.B. 1939 p.5 (Geo. Payne) (OS Card Reference). SKE49228.

<5> Oral Rev C H Rae Rector of Cruxton (OS Card Reference). SKE47983.

<6> F1 CFW 17-JUN-59 (OS Card Reference). SKE42610.

<7> oral P.J. Tester (Hon.Corr.) (OS Card Reference). SKE47980.

<8> ?FOUNDATIONS OF ROMAN VILLA.SEE CORRESPONDENCE FILE,SWAIN,E.R. Types: WALL/?BUILDING (Photograph). SKE8.

<8> F2 CFW 17-DEC-64 (OS Card Reference). SKE43247.

<9> AS 106/W/57 Types: WALL/?BUILDING (Photograph). SKE9.

<9> Field report for monument TQ 76 NW 48 - June, 1959 (Bibliographic reference). SKE4113.

<10> ?FOUNDATIONS OF ROMAN VILLA.SEE CORRESPONDENCE FILE,SWAIN,E.R. Types: WALL/?BUILDING (Photograph). SKE8.

<10> Field report for monument TQ 76 NW 48 - December, 1964 (Bibliographic reference). SKE4114.

<11> ?FOUNDATIONS OF ROMAN VILLA.SEE CORRESPONDENCE FILE,SWAIN,E.R. Types: WALL/?BUILDING (Photograph). SKE10.

<12> AS 106/W/57 Types: WALL/?BUILDING (Photograph). SKE9.

<13> ?FOUNDATIONS OF ROMAN VILLA.SEE CORRESPONDENCE FILE,SWAIN,E.R. VIEW OF CHURCHYARD Types: WALL/?BUILD (Photograph). SKE7.

<14> ?FOUNDATIONS OF ROMAN VILLA.SEE CORRESPONDENCE FILE,SWAIN,E.R. Types: WALL/?BUILDING (Photograph). SKE10.

<15> ?FOUNDATIONS OF ROMAN VILLA.SEE CORRESPONDENCE FILE,SWAIN,E.R. VIEW OF CHURCHYARD Types: WALL/?BUILD (Photograph). SKE7.

Sources and further reading