Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

An iron working site (bloomery) existed at Rolvenden Layne, Rolvenden. The field "Cinderbank", now pasture, has beds of ancient nondescript cinder beneath the turf, so compact that posts could not be driven through them. The southern boundary of "Cinderbank", abutting an old water-course, now a drain, contains much bloomery waste (slag), and a dark patch a few metres from the stream side, also contains slag and some ironstone.

Monument Types

• BLOOMERY (Medieval to Post Medieval - 1066 AD to 1900 AD)

Associated Finds

• CERAMIC (Early Iron Age to Roman - 800 BC? to 409 AD?)
• SHERD (Early Iron Age to Roman - 800 BC? to 409 AD?)
• SLAG (Early Iron Age to Roman - 800 BC? to 409 AD?)

Full description

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[TQ 85553063] A bloomery existed at Rolvenden Layne at Lat 51 deg 2' 40" N., Long. 0 deg 38' 50" E. The field "cinderbank", now pasture, has beds of ancient amorphous type cinder beneath the turf, so compact as to prevent posts being driven through them. (1) Southern boundary of 'Cinderbank', abutting an old water-course, now a drain, contains much bloomery slag, and a dark patch at TQ 85553081, a few metres from the stream side, also contains slag and some ironstone. The site appears to have been small as there is no evidence of slag elsewhere. (a) (2) Centred TQ 855308. Cinderbank. (3) TQ 855303 Rolvenden, appears in a checklist of all known Wealden bloomery sites. (4)

Field observation in 2003 confirmed the presence of a surface deposit in the ploughsoil of iron slag, covering an area of 70m in diameter, straddling the modern field boundary. Two sherds of East Sussex ware were found, in addition to a few fragments of clay furnace lining. (9)

<1> Wealden Iron 1931 323 (E Straker) (OS Card Reference). SKE51299.

<2> G Newton Taylor, Upper Farm, Rolvenden. (OS Card Reference). SKE43453.

<3> F1 CFW 09.10.62 (OS Card Reference). SKE42487.

<4> Tenterden Tithe Map c.1840 (OS Card Reference). SKE49830.

<5> F2 ASP 11-JAN-63 (OS Card Reference). SKE43099.

<6> Iron Ind of the Weald 1985 293 (H Cleere & D Crossley) (OS Card Reference). SKE44512.

<7> Field report for monument TQ 83 SE 1 - October, 1962 (Bibliographic reference). SKE4326.

<8> Field report for monument TQ 83 SE 1 - January, 1963 (Bibliographic reference). SKE4327.

<9> Neil Aldridge, 2009, Letter from Neil Aldridge with details of sites from the Bulletin of the Wealden Iron Research Group (Unpublished document). SKE16635.

Sources and further reading