Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Possible small cremation cemetery with Late Iron Age origins. Four, known, cremations have been found so far. Two dating to pre-Conquest/Claudian date and two to Late 2nd century AD.

Monument Types

• DITCH (Late Iron Age - 100 BC to 42 AD)
• CREMATION CEMETERY (Late Iron Age to Roman - 50 BC? to 200 AD?)
• FINDSPOT (Iron Age and Roman pottery found in flower beds and soilheaps, Late Iron Age to Roman - 50 BC? to 200 AD?)

Associated Finds

• BROOCH (Late Iron Age - 100 BC to 42 AD)
• BROOCH (Late Iron Age - 100 BC to 42 AD)
• POT (Late Iron Age - 100 BC to 42 AD)
• POT (Late Iron Age - 100 BC to 42 AD)
• POT (Late Iron Age - 100 BC to 42 AD)
• POT (Late Iron Age - 100 BC to 42 AD)
• POT (Late Iron Age - 100 BC to 42 AD)
• POT (Late Iron Age - 100 BC to 42 AD)
• POT (Late Iron Age - 100 BC to 42 AD)
• POT (Late Iron Age - 100 BC to 42 AD)
• POT (Late Iron Age - 100 BC to 42 AD)
• BROOCH (Late Iron Age to Roman - 50 BC? to 50 AD?)
• BEAKER (Late Iron Age to Roman - 15 BC? to 60 AD?)
• POT (Late Iron Age - 15 BC to 42 AD)
• BOWL (Roman - 150 AD? to 199 AD?)
• CUP (Roman - 150 AD? to 199 AD?)
• FLAGON (Roman - 150 AD? to 200 AD?)
• HUMAN REMAINS (Roman - 150 AD? to 199 AD?)

Full description

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A late 2nd century AD cremation burial or probably burials was discovered in Deal Cemetery in 1893 when the grave for William Henry Child (No WL4) was being dug. This grave is at TR 36955153. The group contained eight pots, including 4 of Samian ware, on display in Deal Town Hall Museum, includes burial urns and dishes, Samian cups forms 29 and 33 and paterae. The urns contained bones and black earth. The burial was cut into the top of an earlier ditch running north-east by south-west. It measured approximately 3.66m in width and 3.5m to 3.66m in depth and seen in adjacent graves. This ditch could be connected with the Iron Age burials or possible nearby site(1)

In September 1987 another cremation was found comprising two pottery vessels. The cremation urn was a narrow-necked jar with an everted, slightly thickened rim. The grog tempered fabric is typicalof the native Belgic wares of East Kent and dates to around the mid 2nd century AD. The other vessel is a ring necked flagon with a single four-ribbed handle and a globular body (Southwark Type I.B 8 Marsh & Tyers 1978) and dates to the mid to late 2nd century. The finds were sent to Dover Museum.

These burials suggest that this is an area of a small cremation cemetery. There is also evidence of earlier Iron Age (TR 35 SE 415) occupation activiy and Neolithic activity (TR 35 SE 416).(8)

In 1997 (11) and 1998 two further cermation burials (Approximate location TR36915136) were found in the southern area of Deal Cemetery during grave digging. The 1997 burial (Modern grave 2E 6142) contained two unburnt Colchester brooches and five pots, including an imported ovoid beaker in Terra Rubra. It is clear that the cremated bone had never been held within any of the pots with the pots resting on top. The bones seem to have been from a young adult female. The 1998 burial, found 3.25m away (Grave 2E 6142) was represented by to near complete vessels and parts from three others. All of local grog-tempered ware.(9-10)

Additional Info (2- 7)

<1> F1 ASP 22-JUL-64 (OS Card Reference). SKE42235.

<1> Phillips, A., 1964, Field report for monument TR 35 SE 34 - July, 1964, F1 ASP 22-JUL-64 (Unpublished document). SKE6095.

<2> Stebbing MS Notes Deal Public Library. (OS Card Reference). SKE49669.

<3> Maidstone Museum Pte 6" (Anon-Undated) (OS Card Reference). SKE46483.

<4> Maidstone Museum Arch. Gazette in Progress. (Anon-Undated) (OS Card Reference). SKE46434.

<5> Mr.Hodgson, ?, Inf:Mr.Hodgson, Cemetery Superintendent,Deal Cemetery., Inf:Mr.Hodgson, Cemetery Superintendent,Deal Cemetery. (Verbal communication). SKE8129.

<7> Oxford Archaeological Unit, 1996, Proposed Supermarket Development, West Street, Deal, Kent (Unpublished document). SKE7108.

<8> Parfitt, K., 1989, A Roman Cremation and Other Finds From Deal., Page 123 - 128 (Article in serial). SKE8128.

<9> Parfitt, K., 2001, Another Cremation Burial off Hamilton Road, Deal, Page 124 (Article in serial). SKE8130.

<10> Parfitt, K., 1999, Researches Discoveries: A "Belgic" Cremation Deal, Pages 381 - 389 (Article in serial). SKE8131.

<11> 1999, Arch Cant 119, 1999 (Article in serial). SKE54595.

Sources and further reading