Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Excavations in advance of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link in 2002-3 identified a number of Romano-British property boundaries west of the Ebbsfleet. This is Property 5. (location accurate to the nearest 1m based on available information)

Monument Types

• DITCH (Roman - 50 AD? to 75 AD?)
• BOUNDARY (Roman - 75 AD? to 200 AD?)
• FENCE? (Roman - 75 AD? to 200 AD?)
• GULLY (Roman - 75 AD? to 200 AD?)
• INHUMATION (Roman - 75 AD? to 200 AD?)
• MIDDEN (Roman - 75 AD? to 200 AD?)
• PIT (Roman - 75 AD? to 320 AD?)
• POST HOLE (Roman - 75 AD? to 200 AD?)

Associated Finds

• POTTERY ASSEMBLAGE (Roman - 50 AD? to 200 AD?)
• COIN (Roman - 275 AD? to 325 AD?)

Full description

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Excavations in advance of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link in 2002-3 identified a number of Romano-British property boundaries west of the Ebbsfleet. This is Property 5. The property lay immediately east of the junction of Watling Street and the branch road and extended east as far as the Ebbsfleet. To the south the boundary was defined by an irregaulr ditch at right-angles to the Ebbsfleet and a building in Property 4. To the north the boundary was less clear but probably defined by a building within Property 6.

The earliest feature was the road-side ditch on the east side of Watling Street. As elsewhere this ditch had silted after only a few years. A later, but still early Roman gravel pathway extended between the road-side ditch and Watling Street. There were no buildings in the Property but there were numerous post holes including fence lines, pits and a possible midden. The remains of an infant were found within the midden. The features were all early-middle Roman period except for a single pit that was dated to the late Roman period. It was sealed by a layer containing late 3rd or early 4th century coins which was in turn sealed by a medieval trackway. (1)

Location accurate to 2m based on available information.

<1> Oxford Wessex Archaeology Joint Venture, 2010, Settling the Ebbsfleet Valley. CTRL Excavations at Springhead and Northfleet, Kent. The Late Iron Age, Roman, Saxon, and Medieval Landscape (Unpublished document). SKE31245.

Sources and further reading

Related records