Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Excavation in 2000-2002 carried out as part of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link found five early Anglo-Saxon sunken-featured buildings in the vicinity of Northfleet Roman villa.

Monument Types

• GRUBENHAUS (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 480 AD? to 720 AD?)

Associated Finds

• SAUCER BROOCH (Roman to Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 350 AD? to 550 AD?)
• BARLEY GRAIN (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 410 AD to 1065 AD)
• Charcoal (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 410 AD to 1065 AD)
• HAZEL NUT (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 410 AD to 1065 AD)
• PLANT MACRO REMAINS (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 410 AD to 1065 AD)
• SEEDS (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 410 AD to 1065 AD)
• WHEAT GRAIN (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 410 AD to 1065 AD)
• POTTERY ASSEMBLAGE (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 420 AD? to 600 AD?)
• WEFT BEATER (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 420 AD? to 700 AD?)
• Charcoal (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 470 AD? to 570 AD?) + Sci.Date
• ANIMAL REMAINS (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 480 AD? to 620 AD?)
• DAUB (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 480 AD? to 720 AD?)
• NAIL (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 480 AD? to 720 AD?)
• SLAG (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 480 AD? to 720 AD?)
• SPINDLE WHORL (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 480 AD? to 720 AD?)
• WEIGHT (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 480 AD? to 720 AD?)
• SPEARHEAD (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 600 AD? to 900 AD?)
• TOGGLE? (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 700 AD? to 1050 AD?)

Full description

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Excavation in 2000-2002 carried out as part of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link found five early Anglo-Saxon sunken-featured buildings (SFB 16636, 16637, 16638, 16635, 16699) in the vicinity of Northfleet Roman villa. All were c. 3-4m in length and c. 2-3m in width. They had post holes at each end and some had additional post holes within the structures. Finds from the structures included pottery, charcoal (radiocarbon dated to AD 420 - 570), animal bone, nails, lead weights, daub, iron slag, a spindle whorl (1) and an applied saucer brooch (2).

The backfill of SFB 16638 contained an unusual antler spearhead, as well as a bone pin beater and a bone spindle whorl, while a possible toggle was found in both SFB 16635 and SFB 16636 (2).

The animal bone included a cattle atlas with osteoarthritis from SFB 16635, a right sheep humerous with 'penning elbow' also from SFB 16635, a cattle metacarpal with probable ossified haematoma from SFB 16638, and butchered red deer bone from several SFBs (2).

<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 4: Saxon and Later Finds and Environmental Reports (Monograph). SKE32437.

Sources and further reading

Related records