Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

A Roman pottery kiln located on the eastern site of Otterham Creek produced Upchurch ware during the late first and second century AD.

Monument Types

• POTTERY KILN (pottery, wasters, Roman - 67 AD to 199 AD)

Associated Finds

• BRIQUETAGE (Roman - 67 AD to 199 AD)
• CUP (Roman - 67 AD to 199 AD)
• JUG (Roman - 67 AD to 199 AD)
• SAUCEPAN (Roman - 67 AD to 199 AD)

Full description

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(2) [TQ 83706875] "During perambulation around this point I have found large quantities of black and red ware, including wasters; also Samian. I have observed traces of briquetage, etc., and am of the opinion that this is the site of an R.B. pottery kiln. In the area indicated by Surg. Comdr. Gray an extremely heavy concentration of R.B. potsherds was seen during field work. It included all forms of Upchurch ware, a type of red ware and possible fragments of Samian. All the pottery was in poor condition owing to continual immersion in sea water. (3) TQ 83706875: A surface collection of pottery, including a wide variety of forms of grey/black `Upchurch ware', also a `type of red ware', probably dating from the late 1st-2nd centuries, was formerly in the possession of P. Gray, but is not now traceable. The site showed abundant pottery deposits including wasters, and `briquettage' suggestive of a kiln, probably now destroyed by tidal erosion. (4). Additional references (5,6). Survey in 1999 confirmed substantial localised deposits of burnt debris under mudflat, plus pit/ditches with tip lines? Late 2nd to 3rd centuries (7). Briquetage found at this site (8). Additional reference on sites located in surrounding regions (9).

<1> Pte 6" (G Payne Rochester Mus) (OS Card Reference). SKE48855.

<2> Arch Cant 25 1902 lxi (G Payne) (OS Card Reference). SKE34892.

<3> Oral (Surg Comdr PNK Gray RN) (OS Card Reference). SKE47904.

<4> F1 AC 12-OCT-51 (OS Card Reference). SKE41793.

<5> Pottery Kilns of Ro Brit RCHME Supp Ser 5 1984 410 (VG Swan) (OS Card Reference). SKE48556.

<6> Field report for monument TQ 86 NW 9 - October, 1951 (Bibliographic reference). SKE4564.

<7> Upchurch Archaeological Research Group, 1999, Medway Estuary, site locations and summary., Upchurch Arch Res Grp (Unpublished document). SWX9337.

<8> Jackson, I., 1975, A preliminary note on briquetage from the Upchurch Marshes (Article in serial). SWX7681.

<9> Roach Smith, C., 1840, Recent discoveries of Roman antiquities at Strood, Bapchild, Oare and Upchurch in Kent ... (Article in serial). SWX9349.

Sources and further reading