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 12. It included an aisled barn, a number of sunken-feature buildings and a small cemetery. (location accurate to the nearest 1m based on available information)

Monument Types

• AISLED BARN (Roman - 50 AD? to 150 AD?)
• PIT (Roman - 50 AD? to 300 AD?)
• QUARRY (Roman - 50 AD? to 225 AD?)
• BOUNDARY (Roman - 75 AD? to 200 AD?)
• GRUBENHAUS (Roman - 100 AD? to 225 AD?)
• CEMETERY (Roman - 200 AD? to 400 AD?)
• INHUMATION (Roman - 200 AD? to 400 AD?)

Associated Finds

• DOLPHIN BROOCH (Late Iron Age to Roman - 100 BC? to 409 AD?)
• POTTERY ASSEMBLAGE (Roman - 50 AD? to 250 AD?)
• BOOT (Roman - 200 AD? to 400 AD?)
• HUMAN REMAINS (Roman - 200 AD? to 400 AD?)
• NAIL (Roman - 200 AD? to 400 AD?)
• PIN (Roman - 200 AD? to 400 AD?)
• WEIGHT (Roman - 200 AD? to 400 AD?)
• COIN (Roman - 330 AD to 348 AD)

Full description

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Excavations in advance of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link in 2002-3 identified a number of property boundaries west of the Ebbsfleet. This is Property 12. The property was aligned on the branch road that ran north from Watling Street. It was defined by fence lines to the south-east.

The frontage of the property was not within the excavation area but it is likely that the earliest features in this area were the roads and road-side ditches. The earliest features that were excavated were two 1st century brickearth quarries. These consisted of interlinked broad, flat-bottomed pits 1.2 - 1.5m deep. Both were filled with large quantities of domestic debris from the later 1st to early 3rd century. An inhumation grave was cut into one, probably in the 3rd or 4th century, one of several graves in the area that belonged to what was probably a small roadside cemetery.

The principal structure in the property was an aisled barn. Only the rear part could be excavated but this showed it to be 10m wide and a maximum of c. 22m long. It was probably constructed in the later 1st century and continued in use until the second half of the 2nd century. It was cut by two pits, one of which contained 3rd century pottery. The outside wall was represented by insubstantial flint and chalk footings, c. 0.3m wide but the inner walls were thicker, up to 0.8m wide.

Between the aisled barn and the southern boundary was a substantial possible sunken-feature building. It was 6 m x 4.5 m in size. There were no post holes but it is suggested that the sides were lined with timber. The function is unknown. Pottery from the feature spans the early/mid 2nd to early 3rd century.

A number of large, often shallow pits were found in the property. Most of the pottery found was early Roman in date but at least 9 pits were assigned a mid-Roman date, representing c. 50% of those available for excavating. This is an unusually high percentage for Springhead and four of them contained sherds of as late as the early/mid 3rd century. There were also coins from 330-348 from the east of the property in the vicinity of the sunken-feature building. Overall the evidence suggested that not only did activity continue in this property a little longer than elsewhere but that the area may have been used for dumping of rubbish.

Five inhumations towards the rear of the property probably post-date the main use of the property. They were dispersed with one being in property 12. Four graves contained bone, all from adults over c. 30 years old. One individual was buried in hobnail boots and the grave contained at least 23 nails, possibly from a board the body may have been laid on. Another grave contained two nails and a third a bone pin and a lead weight, possibly redeposited. The finds and stratigraphy indicate a mid or probably late Roman date for the burials.(1)

One of the two Dolphin brooches found at Springhead was found within Property 12 (2).

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.

<2> Oxford Wessex Archaeology Joint Venture, 2011, Settling the Ebbsfleet Valley. CTRL Excavations at Springhead and Northfleet, Kent. Volume 2: Late Iron Age to Roman Finds Reports (Monograph). SKE32435.

Sources and further reading

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