Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

A 1st century Romano-British ritual shaft found in the cliffs at Birchington in 1947. The pit had a number of footlholes. It was found to contain a variety of artefacts including unopened oyster shells, a horse's skull and other animal bone, pieces of oak, a circular piece of sandstone and a few pieces of Romano British pottery. A similar pit at Sandwich dated from about the 1st c. A.D.

Monument Types

• RITUAL SHAFT (Roman - 43 AD to 99 AD)

Associated Finds

• ANIMAL REMAINS (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• ANIMAL REMAINS (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• Carved Stone (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• OYSTER SHELL (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• POTTERY ASSEMBLAGE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)

Full description

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[TR 29096999] Roman Remains found A.D. 1947 (NAT) (1) A ritual pit, about 2.5 ft in diameter was discovered in 1947 in the cliff at Birchington and examined by J.P.T. Burchell who found it to be 32 ft. deep with footholes for the first 21 ft. Unopened oyster shells covered the bottom 18 ins. (similar to the Gallo-Roman ritual shaft at Troussepoil, France) at 30 ft. were a horse's skull, a few pieces of bones and some pieces of oak; a circular piece of sandstone 4 ins. thick, blocked the shaft at 27 ft. and the remainder of the infilling contained the remains of ox and horse and a few pieces of R.B. pottery. Two interconnecting hollows cut into the chalk close to the shaft contained R.B. pottery, etc (2). A similar pit at Sandwich dated from about the 1st c. A.D. Additional references (3-11).

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

<2> Arch N L 2 No 3 July 1949 52 (OS Card Reference). SKE36778.

<3> The Times 31 5 49 (OS Card Reference). SKE50531.

<4> Maidstone Museum Arch Gaz (OS Card Reference). SKE46404.

<5> Unpublished Letter to the Times Nov 1953 (J B Calkin and sketch plan) (OS Card Reference). SKE50700.

<6> Maidstone Museum 6" (A Warhurst Arch Asst) undated (OS Card Reference). SKE46359.

<7> F1 CFW 18-SEP-63 (OS Card Reference). SKE42636.

<8> Studies in Ancent Europe (ed Coles and Simpson) 1968 257 260 (A Ross) (OS Card Reference). SKE49698.

<9> BAR 24 The Religions of Gulian Roman Britain 1976 232 (M Green) (OS Card Reference). SKE37521.

<10> Isle of Thanet Arch Unit Sites and Mons Archive 1988 Record No 202 (OS Card Reference). SKE44708.

<11> Field report for monument TR 26 NE 8 - September, 1963 (Bibliographic reference). SKE5807.

Sources and further reading