Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Iron Age/early Roman occupation found at Waterbrook Farm in 1993 during an excavation.

Monument Types

• ENCLOSURE (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
• PIT (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
• CINERARY URN (Late Iron Age to Roman - 100 BC to 100 AD)
• CREMATION (Late Iron Age to Roman - 100 BC to 100 AD)
• CREMATION PIT (Late Iron Age to Roman - 100 BC to 100 AD)
• DRAINAGE DITCH (Late Iron Age - 100 BC to 42 AD)
• RUBBISH PIT (Late Iron Age - 100 BC to 42 AD)
• SETTLEMENT (Late Iron Age - 100 BC to 42 AD)

Associated Finds

• SHERD (Late Iron Age - 100 BC to 42 AD)
• SHERD (Roman - 50 AD? to 100 AD?)

Full description

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An evaluation in 1992 and a subsequent excavation in 1993, both carried out by Canterbury Archaeological Trust, at Waterbrook Farm found a possible Iron Age or early Roman enclosure. It was paritally excavated on the northern edge of the site. The part exposed consists of two ditches which form a right angle. There are two entrances at the north-east and south-west corners. A concentration of pits within the enclosed area may relate to a period of occupation. A ditch is present, its function may have been for drainage, suggesting problems with flooding during the occupation on the site. Similar drainage ditches can be found on the opposite side of the river. The settlement is mid to late 1st century with pre-Flavian pottery. (1)

An evaluation in 1992 and a subsequent excavation in 1993, both carried out by Canterbury Archaeological Trust, at Waterbrook Farm found a settlement clustered around the banks of a palaeochannel. Flooding of the settlement may have been a problem, several drainage ditches were present and canalising of the river before it was eventually infilled. The main period of occupation looks to be the late Iron Age, probably about 50 years before the Roman invasion, a date deduced from recovered ceramics. Several rubbish pits were present on this site as well as one cremation.

The archaeological features represented a short lived, though it was a continuously occupied native settlement. Ceramic evidence suggests that the site was enclosed in the late Iron Age and continued in use for c.150 yrs into the Roman period with occupation mostly situated on a low rise in the flood plain. The site lay adjacent to a relict channel of the East Stour, which probably once formed an oxbow encircling the settlement on 3 sides. The abrupt termination of the occupation in the 2nd century AD may have been due to the wetness of the site. (2)

An evaluation in 1992 and a subsequent excavation in 1993, both carried out by Canterbury Archaeological Trust, at Waterbrook Farm found several cremations were found during the excavation. Three cremations were excavated, all crushed but with substantially complete pottery vessels dating to before AD 70 and were discovered in the base of two ditches. They appear to be simple cremation burial with the ditch, which is not uncommon. There is no burnt bone associated with but it may have degraded. Two more possible cremation burials in a similar state were found again in the base of a ditch. A heavily truncated cremation burial was situated in the south-eastern corner of an enclosure, though the two features may not be contemorary. The orginal cut for the burial was filled with a charcoal deposit, suggesting the pyre for the burning was situated nearby. The cut contained a number of fragments of burnt bone and sherds of a pottery vessel, which was a 1st to 2nd century 'Upchurch ware' bowl. A cinerary vessle may have been present but no longer exists and therefore of one were present it was biodegradable. This creamation was undated. There was one other possible cremation which was isolated and heavily truncated at the eastern edge of the site. It contained charcoal ash and burnt bone, which might have been an un-closed cremation burial. Un-closed cremation burials are quite common in rural cemetries of Romano-British date, following a tradition of Iron Age cremations without containers. (1)

A further archaeological excavation was carried out in 2007 aiming to create a better understanding of the earlier work carried out. A number of Iron Age and Roman features were excated increasing the knowledge of the site. The Late Iron Age to Romano British era consists mostly of enclosures and ditches associeated with ring gullies interpreted as drip gullies for roundhouses. The pottery assemblage spans most of the period, at least five phases of roundhouse construction were identified with later enclosure ditches suggesting a long time survival within the landscape. A total of four undated creamation deposits containing human bone were excavated. These are potenttially of this period. There was also limited Tomano-British Activity, comprising of ditches and pits, however the assemblages suggest that they had a relationship with the earlier activity on the site. (3)

<1> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 1999, Waterbrook Farm, Ashford: Report on Evaluation Trenching in 1992, Report and Assessment of Excavations in 1993 (Unpublished document). SKE6589.

<2> The Ashford Great Park Partnership, 1993, Great Park Ashford, Development Brief Consultation Draft (Unpublished document). SKE6818.

<3> Wessex Archaeology, 2008, Area A, Waterbrook Park, Ashford, Kent: Post-Excavation Assessment (Unpublished document). SKE29284.

Sources and further reading