Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Iron Age & Roman site, Postling

Monument Types

• FINDSPOT (POTTERY, Early Iron Age to Roman - 800 BC to 409 AD)

Associated Finds

• SHERD (Early Iron Age to Roman - 800 BC to 200 AD)

Full description

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TR 14193725. An Iron Age and Roman site at Postling lies c. 1.9m SW of the parish church, c. 270m SW of Shrine Farm and c. 140m NE of Honeywood Cottages. The site, on open undulating farmland, was discovered by the Kent Archaeological Rescue Unit in April 1979 when surveying the work being carried out during the construction of the M20 Folkestone to Ashford Motorway c. 50 cm below the surface in an area 30m wide x c. 1 km in length was a chocolate-brown sandy clay deposit containing Iron Age and early Roman pottery sherds, plus 5 badly abraded Medieval sherds. These represent 6 fabric types, and a minimum of 18 vessels. Despite several test slots being excavated in the area, no related features were found. The pottery suggests previously unknown Iron Age and Roman settlements, perhaps small farmsteads existing nearby. The lack of features and sloping nature of the ground may suggest that the finds were washed down the slope form the N in antiquity, and have since been buried by hillwash, with a further site lying on thehigher ground to the north. The pottery does demonstrate that the immediate area was being settled some time c.500 - 300 BC, and again during the 1st and 2nd c. AD. (1)

Additional Info(2)

<1> KAR 74 1983 92-95 illus (J Willson) (OS Card Reference). SKE45422.

<2> Archaeology South-East, 1998, Desk-Based Assessment and Walk-over of a site at Folkestone Racescourse, Westhanger (Unpublished document). SKE7403.

Sources and further reading