It should not be assumed that this site is publicly accessible and it may be on private property. Do not trespass.
Monument details
| HER Number: | TR 25 NE 289 |
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| Type of record: | Monument |
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| Name: | Hammill Ritual Shaft |
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Summary
The site of a former Roman ritual shaft from the second to third century AD.
| Grid Reference: | TR 2933 5572 |
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| Map Sheet: | TR25NE |
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| Parish: | WOODNESBOROUGH, DOVER, KENT |
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Monument Types
- (Former Type) RITUAL SHAFT (Constructed, Roman - 100 AD? to 200 AD?)
Full description
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Hammill Ritual shaft was discovered on the site of the Hammill Brickworks during quarrying. The shaft was excavated between 1946 and 1948 when a 22 m. deep shaft was found with a large Belgic-Romano pot at the base. A circular ante-chamber 2.6m wide sat atop a 1 m. diameter shaft. A small section of the shaft opened out to 2 m. but this was thought to be due to a collapse as the shaft narrowed to 1m. square lined with clay. A nearby pit contained a figurine of Venus. The exact purpose or nature of the shaft cannot be further examined as the area has been destroyed by quarrying but continental parallels seem to support the theory that the shaft had some ritual use. The shaft has been dated from pottery evidence to the second to third century AD. (1)
<1> Dover District Council, 2013, Dover District Heritage Strategy (Bibliographic reference). SKE31372.
Sources and further reading
| Cross-ref.
| Source description | | <1> | Bibliographic reference: Dover District Council. 2013. Dover District Heritage Strategy. |
