Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

The site of one or more Roman cemeteries found in 1881 at Oaklands, Staines Hill in Westbere. Four or five burials have been found in the area, cremations were found with Roman pottery and an early 1st century fibula. A lead lined stone coffin was also found in the grounds of Whatmer Hall in 1755. Most of the finds fall within old gravel pits. A further site is beneath modern school buildings.

Monument Types

• CEMETERY (CEMETERY, Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• COFFIN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• CREMATION (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• FINDSPOT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)

Associated Finds

• BROOCH (Roman - 43 AD to 99 AD)
• URN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)

Full description

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`A' [TR 1857 6094] ROMAN BURIAL GROUND [R] (1) `B'[TR 1862 6119 `C' TR 1884 6143 & `D' TR 1866 6101] Sites of Roman "cemeteries" shown on map (2). In 1881, at Oaklands, Somer's or Staines Hill, Westbere, a Roman cremation was found and later, anotherwas found associated with Roman pottery and an early C1st fibula. VCH mentions four or five burials found in the area including one in a lead lined stone coffin in the grounds of Whatmer Hall, found in 1755.[sited at `E' TR 1835 6100]. (2-4) Sites A, B, C and E fall within old gravel pits. Site D is beneath modern school buildings. No further finds have been reported from the area. On exhibition in Herne Bay Museum is a small Ro burial urn, 4 inches high "from Westbere", (b) part of the Armstrong Bowes Collection. No further details about it are known. (5) Additional bibliography. (6 -12)

<1> OS 6" 1961 (OS Card Reference). SKE48369.

<2> Arch Cant 15 1883 318 20 (G Payne) (OS Card Reference). SKE34731.

<3> VCH Kent 3 1932 174 (R F Jessup and M V Taylor) (OS Card Reference). SKE51111.

<4> Hist of Kent 3 1790 615 (E Hasted) (OS Card Reference). SKE43961.

<5> Information - Mr Frank Jenkins (OS Card Reference). SKE44452.

<6> Display card Herne Bay Museum (OS Card Reference). SKE39735.

<7> F1 ASP 04-DEC-63 (OS Card Reference). SKE41917.

<8> PSA Ser 2 6 1874 152 (J Brent) (OS Card Reference). SKE48849.

<9> Field report for monument TR 16 SE 8 - December, 1963 (Bibliographic reference). SKE5557.

<10> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 1994, A28 Sturry Bypass: A Interim Review of the Archaeological Resource and Historic Landscape, p49 (Unpublished document). SKE7002.

<11> Ordnance Survey, 1893-7, Ordnance Survey 1:2500 2nd edition : 1893-1898, 1898/1:2500 (Map). SWX11832.

<12> Ordnance Survey, 1928-1947, Ordnance Survey 1:2500 4th edition 1928-1947, 1938/1:2500 (Map). Ske12644.

Sources and further reading