Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

The site was first noticed in the late 17th century and excavated in the mid 19th century. Foundations uncovered indicated the presence of three buildings, one with a hypocaust. Coins recovered from the site date to the mid 3rd to early 4th century.

Monument Types

• BUILDING (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• HYPOCAUST (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• INHUMATION (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• VILLA? (VILLA, Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)

Associated Finds

• COIN HOARD? (Roman - 293 AD to 299 AD)

Full description

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[TQ 8799 6189] Roman foundations, pottery, coins, etc. found 1846. (1) Roman Villa. (2) "Roman bricks were noticed in this parish in 1695, and foundations in 1846 and 1850. The site of all the discoveries appears to be a field called Fourteen Acres, near the old manor house of Sutton Baron ... Of the bricks nothing is recorded save that they were Roman. The foundations indicated three separate structures. A square building with flint walls 18 inches thick was noted in 1846; its interior was filled with debris, stones, mortar and tile, and oyster shells. Distinct from this, but found at the same time, was an oblong building with thicker walls, fitted apparently with a hypocaust and also containing debris of broken tiles, mortar and potsherds. An old pond or rubbish hole nearby yielded nails, potsherds, knives, door hinges, bone pins and 35 coins (? part of a hoard) - 3 Gallienus, 28 Titricus, 1 Numerian, 2 Carausius and 1 Allectus. A third building was detected in the same vicinity about 1850. According to the rather confused record, an area measuring 14ft. by 16ft. was explored. On one side were two walls faced with mortar, 3ft. apart, and near the S. end of them, but a foot deeper, lay a skeleton facing E., with bits of a wooden coffin bound with iron, and a bronze coin of Victorinus. Broken tiles and human bones, apparently thrown in at a later date, also came to light." (3) [TQ 8799 6189] ROMAN BUILDING [R] (site of) [NAT] (4)

Fourteen Acre field, the siting given by Wheeler, is an arable field freshly ploughed at time of visit. It shows no concentration of building material of any sort, nor obvious evidence of Roman occupation; the farmer has never hit foundations in ploughing although he has never ploughed deeper than about 8 inches. The O.S. published siting falls in Five Acre field, now an orchard; it appears to have been taken from the Maidstone Museum 6 inch, the authority for which is not known. (5)

A large late Roman cut feature containing building materials and late Roman potsherds was found in the vicinity during an evaluation. (See TQ 86 SE 7).(10) Evidence of Romano-British activity probably related to this was found in 2001 (11).

<1> L R Grove Pte 6" 1950 Ref to BAAJ IV 68 (OS Card Reference). SKE45988.

<2> Liverside R Villas App VI Ref to VCH III 105 (OS Card Reference). SKE46146.

<3> JBAA II 1847 346 5 IV 1849 68 IV 1851 448 (OS Card Reference). SKE45001.

<4> History of Kent 4 1830 37 (W H Ireland) (OS Card Reference). SKE44121.

<5> Phippen Descr Sketches of Rochester 1862 224 (OS Card Reference). SKE48519.

<6> VCH III 932 105 (OS Card Reference). SKE50817.

<7> OS 6" NSL Prov (OS Card Reference). SKE48386.

<8> F1 CFW 03-JUL-63 (OS Card Reference). SKE42402.

<9> Field report for monument TQ 86 SE 7 - July, 1963 (Bibliographic reference). SKE4592.

<10> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 2001, An Archaeological Evaluation At Sutton Baron Hall, Sutton Baron Road, Borden (Unpublished document). SKE12292.

<11> Swale and Thames Archaeological Survey Company, 2003, Archaeological Evaluation at Sutton Baron Hall, Sutton Baron Road, Borden, Kent (Unpublished document). SKE12293.

Sources and further reading

Related records