Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Romano-British burials were found on the site of what is now the Nethercourt estate. A small lead coffin and another Roman grave were found close to the Saxon cemetery in about 1846, when the South Eastern Railway was being constructed. Small finds included a pair of bronze scales, two Samian dishes and a set of weights formed of Roman coins. A rescue excavation at the site in the 1980s uncovered a ditched enclosure containing the remains of a Romano-British building, with flint walls and basement and the sites of timber-framed buildings. The site was interpreted as a primitive farming villa with outbuildings dating to second half of 1st century.

Monument Types

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

Associated Finds

• BALANCE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• DISH (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• WEIGHT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)

Full description

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TR 360655. Romano-British burials were found here in an Anglo-Saxon cemetery. (1) A small unornamented lead coffin was found close to the ?Saxon cemetery in about 1846, when the South Eastern Railway was being constructed, and near it was another Roman grave. Roman pottery, including two Samian dishes stamped QVINTI.M. and DRAVCI.M and weights made from Roman coins were found in the Saxon cemetery and it was thought, therefore, that the cemetery occupied the site of an earlier Roman burial place. Roman pottery and coins, however, are frequently found in Saxon cemeteries. The lead coffin weights and scales together with rough Roman pottery are in the Mayer Collection in Liverpool Free Public Museum. (2) The cemetery at Osinghelle contained a large number of Saxon interments but amongst them was a Roman coffin of lead, a pair of bronze scales, a set of weights formed of Roman coins, and other Romanrelics. (3)

Cropmarks of a rectilinear enclosure, apparently double ditched, with rounded corners. Rectilinear parch marks within may be buildings. The cropmark was previously thought to be of Upper Court a medieval manor. It is now believed to be of a Roman Villa. Cotton's identification of the cropmark as that of a medieval manor relied on his knowledge of the location of the manor somewhere in this area. He had of course, never seen the cropmark from the air. Thanet SMR 160, rescue excavation uncovered ditched enclosure containing the remains of a RB building, with flint walls and basement and the sites of timber-framed buildings. The site was interpreted as a primitive farming villa with outbuildings dating to second half of 1st century. KE 78 Listed as the possible site of a Roman villa. (4-6)

<1> Trust for Thanet Archaeology, 1987, Isle of Thanet Archaeological Unit Sites and Monuments Archive, Isle of Thanet Arch Unit Sites and Mons Archive 1988 Rec no 161 (Collection). SKE11846.

<2> VCH 3 Kent 1932 162 (MV Taylor, RF Jessop and CFC Hawkes) (OS Card Reference). SKE50815.

<3> Arch Cant 12 1958 334 (OS Card Reference). SKE34672.

<4> Trust for Thanet Archaeology, 1994, A Desk-Based Assessment of the Archaeological Implications of a Proposed Development at Manston Road, Ramsgate (Unpublished document). SKE12032.

<5> Vertical aerial photograph reference number (CUC VB 33, 45-6, 14.06.57) (Unspecified Type). SKE55467.

<6> Eleanor Scott, 1993, A gazetteer of Roman villas in Britain (Unspecified Type). SWX23549.

Sources and further reading