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About twenty five yards inside Chapel Wood, behind the Bungalow
named "Hazel Lodge," a Roman Hippocaust was discovered about
thirty years ago.
Some seventy years ago three Druidical Stones were found in Abbots
Wood, Peckham Wood Corner. They surrounded a small pond. The exact site was
where The Rising Sun Tea Rooms, London Road, now stand. The stones resemble the
Coldrum Stones at Trottiscliffe.
When the water mains were being laid along Hartley Bottom a cave
was discovered about 10 feet wide with Roman tiles on the floor.
Roman Settlement discovered on Eastwood Farm.
Whilst digging a hole on his farm during October 1957, for the disposal of a
dead pig, Mr G Self struck a patch of disturbed soil. This he interpreted must
indicate a hole having previously been dug. His suspicions aroused, he was
prompted to explore further and soon recovered fragments of very course pottery
and some bone. The find was at once reported to the authorities, at the
Lullingstone Roman Villa. Subsequently a team of young Kent archaeologists who
specialise in such newly discovered sites arrived on the scene and commenced a
series of trial trenches on a modified grid plan. Their objective was to
establish:-
The nature of the settlement
The extent of the remains
A provisional dating
Work, which is still in progress, has resulted in the gleaning of
much valuable information both historical and archaeological, and
"Eastwood" may one day have good cause to be of special note to those
particularly concerned in the Antiquities of Kent. The primary feature, as yet,
is a neatly cut gulley originally some thirty inches deep with nearly vertical
sides running down the hillside. This has so far been traced for 100 feet but it
is probable that it |
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extends further and may form one side of a rectangular
enclosure. The lowest part of the gully contained the skeleton of a dog and a
complete native vessel broken by earth pressure. Sealing this layer was a bed of
black occupation debris, some ten inches deep. This second layer contained an
amazing number of finds. Of these, three complete bronze brooches are perhaps of
the most interest particularly as they can be confidently dated to the early
Romano-British period 40 – 70 A.D. Two small pieces of vessel glass and parts
of a quern (corn grinding utensil) probably imported from the Rhineland, were
also found. About 500 pieces of pottery have so far been recovered, of which
certain Belgic and Gaulish (French) wares can be identified. Of these pieces
four of Samian ware (Terra Sigillata) are the most important from the dating
viewpoint, and one a decorated fragment depicting the Roman God of Wine Bacchus
can be dated 69 – 79 A.D. By far the largest proportion of the pottery finds
are products of native kilns and are classified as "coarse wares". The
importance of this native ware is its great variety of forms and types which can
be dated, at least provisionally, 40–80 A.D. Hence this group will
collectively form a sound chronological basis for future discoveries covering
Romano-British pottery in Kent and district of 1st century A.D. date.
From the number of finds it is felt fairly certain that a fixed form of
settlement existed here in the form of either a farmstead (villa) or village
site. The dating for such a settlement is provisionally fixed at 40 –80 A.D.
but this may be modified by future finds. Traces of buildings are as yet lacking
but it is hoped that an examination of the whole area next year will reveal some
positive form of settlement.
Many small finds have been reported from all parts of both Parishes
some definitely of Roman origin and others of even earlier periods. |