Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Romano-British rubbish pit.

Monument Types

• RUBBISH PIT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• SITE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)

Full description

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(3) In 1953 J.B. Calkin examined a rubbish pit at TR 29076997 'B' which had been exposed by a grab working on the cliff edge. It contained a large quantity of oyster and mussel shells, 1st c. pottery, Belgic and Roman, a Samian bowl and dish and two human bones. The site can only be a few yards distant from the shaft found by Burchell in 1947. Although the majority of Calkin's finds are said to be in Maidstone Museum (b) they were not traced in the Accessions Index and an RB pot in Quex Park Museum, said by Maidstone, to come from this site, actually comes form one of a series of similar pits near by (see TR 26 NE 19): Burchell's finds are in the B.M. All these sites have now been destroyed. (4) (a) Shaft of undoubted ritual importance. (5) TR 3069, Birchington ritual pit. Same information as above. (6) TR 290699. A square cut pit in the chalk but with no contents was observed. This may well correspond to the site of earlier finds by Worsfold. He describes shafts discovered in 1938 at the north end of Alfred Road opposite Larkscliff. In one shaft bones and teeth of oxen and horse were discovered at a depth of 27 feet. Lower down more animal and human remains were found. In 1947 the British Museum excavated a shaft in Sea View Avenue opposite Bandora, in which bones, broken pottery and cinerary urns were found (7). Additional references (8-11)

<1> OS 6" 1961 (OS Card Reference). SKE48369.

<2> Arch N L 2 No 3 July 1949 52 (OS Card Reference). SKE36778.

<3> The Times 31 5 49 (OS Card Reference). SKE50531.

<4> Maidstone Museum Arch Gaz (OS Card Reference). SKE46404.

<5> Unpublished Letter to the Times Nov 1953 (J B Calkin and sketch plan) (OS Card Reference). SKE50700.

<6> Maidstone Museum 6" (A Warhurst Arch Asst) undated (OS Card Reference). SKE46359.

<7> F1 CFW 18-SEP-63 (OS Card Reference). SKE42636.

<8> Studies in Ancent Europe (ed Coles and Simpson) 1968 257 260 (A Ross) (OS Card Reference). SKE49698.

<9> BAR 24 The Religions of Gulian Roman Britain 1976 232 (M Green) (OS Card Reference). SKE37521.

<10> Isle of Thanet Arch Unit Sites and Mons Archive 1988 Record No 202 (OS Card Reference). SKE44708.

<11> Field report for monument TR 26 NE 8 - September, 1963 (Bibliographic reference). SKE5807.

Sources and further reading