Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

A series of archaeological excavations were carried out from 2001 during the construction of a new church, community centre and housing at St Edmund's road, Dartford. The excavations discovered a dense area of features dating from the late Bronze Age to Anglo-Saxon period.

The site lieson a high gravel terrace overlooking the Thames marshes to the North. OD c.32m.

Monument Types

• SETTLEMENT (Late Bronze Age to Early Iron Age - 1000 BC to 401 BC)
• PIT (Late Iron Age to Roman - 100 BC to 409 AD)
• PIT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• POST HOLE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• SHRINE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• CEMETERY (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 450 AD? to 650 AD?)

Associated Finds

• ANIMAL REMAINS (Late Bronze Age to Early Iron Age - 1000 BC to 401 BC)
• BURNT FLINT (Late Bronze Age to Early Iron Age - 1000 BC to 401 BC)
• LITHIC IMPLEMENT (Late Bronze Age - 1000 BC to 701 BC)
• LOOMWEIGHT (Late Bronze Age to Early Iron Age - 1000 BC to 401 BC)
• POT (Late Bronze Age to Early Iron Age - 1000 BC to 401 BC)
• HARNESS (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• POT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• VOTIVE MODEL (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• WASTE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• BALL (RITUAL) (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 450 AD? to 650 AD?)
• BEAD (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 450 AD? to 650 AD)
• BODY SHERD (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 450 AD? to 650 AD?)
• BROOCH (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 450 AD? to 650 AD?)
• BUCKET (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 450 AD? to 650 AD?)
• BUCKLE (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 450 AD to 650 AD)
• HUMAN REMAINS (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 450 AD? to 625 AD?)
• JEWELLERY (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 450 AD? to 650 AD?)
• KNIFE (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 450 AD to 650 AD)
• KNIFE (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 450 AD to 650 AD)
• NECKLACE (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 450 AD? to 650 AD?)
• RING (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 450 AD? to 650 AD?)
• SHIELD BOSS (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 450 AD to 650 AD)
• SPEAR (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 450 AD? to 650 AD?)
• SWORD (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 450 AD to 650 AD)

Full description

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A series of archaeological excavations were carried out from 2001 during the construction of a new church, community centre and housing at St Edmund's road, Dartford. The excavations discovered a dense area of features dating from the late bronze age to Anglo-Saxon period.

The archaeological stages were:

An initial archaeological evaluation was carried out in 2001 by the Hertfordshire Archaeological Trust. (1)
Following the evaluation a series of open area excavations were carried out between April and August 2002 (2, 4)
A trageted watching brief was carried out on the fringes of the excavated area in January and February 2003 (3).

In 2007 an Archaeological Solutions report reviewed the discoveries of the various archaeological works.(5)

From the report:
"A series of archaeological investigations on the crested site of Temple Hill overlooking the Darent marshes and the Thames estuary to the north, have revealed the peripheral remains of a late bronze age to early iron age settlement, a possible hilltop shrine and part of an early Anglo-Saxon inhumation cemetery (mid fifth to late sixth/early seventh century; fifty-six graves, fifty-nine individuals).

The late bronze age to early iron age features comprised over 400 pits or postholes, yielding struck and burnt flint, pottery sherds, burnt building materials, loomweights and animal bone. Located in the south of the site, these are propably the peripheral remains of a hillfort settlement located on the hilltop to the south. A large contemporary ditch excavated at East Hill, further to the south, may represent the southern boundary of this possible hillfort.

Roman remains comprised a timber post-built structure on an east-west axis. Beyond the end of the building were two pits containing a significant assemblage of votive Roman model iron tools (knives, cleaver, axe, reaping hook, latchlifter and awl), part of a horse hardness and smithing scrap. Several discrete pits and postholes were noted and a small assemblage of abraded pottery was recovered. During the Roman period, the slopes of Temple Hill formed an extensive burial ground, with graves ranging from cremations to stone sarcophagi and gypsum-filled coffins.

The cemetery (Saxon) was organised in groups of comtemporary west-east and south-north aligned graves. Graves were arranged in fairly orderly rows, with little accidental intercutting, suggesting that they may have had ephemeral markers. Three north-south aligned graves were located within ditched enclosures. One of these, situated within a pennanular ditch, may have had a wooden post-built structure above it. Two possible cemetery boundary ditches were found, but the cemetery probably extends further to the north and east.

Although skeletal preservation was not good, graves were relatively undisturbed and contained skeletons and grave goods suggesting a generally poor but healthy population. The poor survival of human bone limited demographic analysis but study of skeletal pathology indicated that the male population undertook heavy labour and the females had poor dental health; there was little evidence of trauma. Males were significantly taller than females. Juveniles were present in the cemeterty but generally had fewer grave goods than adults, with the exception of one juvenile who was bured with weapons within a ring-ditch. Several wealthy females were present, as well as three indivuduals buried with infants.

Grave goods were well preseved and comprise dress accessories, weapons and pottery accessory vessels, and other items including token knife and spear fragments and a bucket handle. Women were buried with copper-alloy shoulder brooches, finger rings and necklaces of silver slip-knot rings, amber, monochrome and polychrome glass and crystal beads were recovered, as well as a crystal gball mounted in a silver sling on a chatelaine. One ring-sword, ten spearheads and four shield bosses were also recovered in addition to belt buckles and knives. Grave goods do not mirror the Jutish styles seen elsewhere in the Darent valley, but suggest a degree of Frankish influence, as well as possible Anglian and east Kentish contacts." (5)

In April 2013, an archive report was created for the site by Archaeological Solutions Ltd. It was a republishing and collating of previous reports of the archaeological evaluation and excavation at the site. (6)

Andrew Richardson, 2000, Gazetteer of Anglo-Saxon Cemeteries and Burial-Sites in Kent (Unpublished document). SKE29253.

<1> Hertfordshire Archaeological Trust, 2001, St. Edmund's Church & Vicarage, St. Edmund's Road, Dartford. An Archaeological Evaluation (Unpublished document). SKE11952.

<2> Hertfordshire Archaeological Trust, 2002, St. Edmund's Church & Vicarage, St. Edmund's Road, Dartford. An Archaeological Excavation Interim site narrative (Unpublished document). SKE11960.

<3> Archaeological Solutions, 2004, St Edmund's Church and Vicarage, St Edund's Road, Dartford, Kent: An Archaeological Excavation And Watching Brief Updated Interim Site Narrative (Unpublished document). SKE12282.

<4> Archaeological Solutions, 2004, An Archaeological Assessment and Updated Project Design for the Publication of Excavations at St. Edmund's Church & Vicarage, St. Edmund's Road, Temple Hill, Dartford, Kent 2002 - 2003 (Unpublished document). SKE12283.

<5> Archaeological Solutions, 2007, An Iron Age Settlement, Roman Shrine And Early Anglo-Saxon Cemetery At St Edmund's Church & Vicarage, St Edmund's Road, Temple Hill, Dartford, Kent (Unpublished document). SKE15697.

<6> Archaeological Solutions, 2013, Research Archive Report: An Iron Age Settlement, Roman Shrine and Early Anglo-Saxon Cemetery at St Edmund's Church & Vicarage, St Edmund's Road, Temple Hill, Dartford, Kent. (Unpublished document). SKE31194.

<7> Research Gate, 2015, An early Anglo-Saxon cemetery at St Edmund's Church and Vicarage, Temple Hill, Dartford, Kent, Anglo-Saxon Studies in Archaeology and History 19, 1-121 (Unpublished document). SKE53313.

Sources and further reading