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Fawkham and Ash Archaeological Group (FAAG)

The Discovery and excavation of a Late Iron-Age and Early Roman Farmstead at Viewpoint, Wellfield, Hartley, Kent 1975/76 and 1984 TQ6084/6842

Ditches A and B, tiled hearth and Pit F

Ditches A + B, and Pit F Contexts

VP7 Unstrat. from top of Ditch A. m to m from kerb following initial clearing after machining by JCB. No. of sherds 25, weight 422 gm.
VP 20. Unstrat. from top of Ditch A. 13m to 20½m from kerb following initial clearing after machining by JCB. No. of sherds 123, weight 1,554 gm.
VP34. Brown clay and flints covering fill of Ditch B at 19½ - 21m. Sherds 15, weight 120 gm.
VP37.
Brown clay and mostly chalk lumps and flint, lower fill of Ditch B under. Sherds 110, weight 570 gm.
                                                - - - - - - - - - - -

VP 23. Black loam and chalk specks, upper fill of Ditch A. 17½ - 19m from kerb. No. of sherds 36, weight 1,359 gm.
                                               - - - - - - - - - - -
VP 22.
Brown clay/ loam upper fill of Ditch A with mass of Roman tile in centre of ditch. Possible pit at 15½ - 17m from kerb. No. of sherds 30, weight 440 gm.
VP 25. Brown clay, (red daub and burnt clay) with mass of broken Roman tiles, fragments of stone (quern?) forming possible hearth on at least two tegula upside down. No. of sherds 51, weight 1,359 gm.
VP43. Fragments of tile from SW of hearth. Ditch A/B. Sherds 1, weight 18 gm.
VP33. Very dry crumbly dark brown/black loam under clay of hearth Ditch A/B at 16½ - 18 m. No. of sherds 47, weight 6,289 gm.
VP39. Lower pocket? Of very dry dark loam at bottom of fill of ditch/pit at end of Ditch A at 16½ - 18m. See Section no. 4. No. of sherds 1, weight 12 gm.
VP41. Very dry, crumbly dark brown/black loam sealed by hearth (VP25) in Ditch A at 16½ - 18m. Same as VP33. No. of sherds 1, weight 6 gm.
VP45. Dark brown loam, small chalk lumps, small broken flint, forming upper fill of Ditch A/B, half section through the hearth at 15 - 16½m taking all north of centre of ditch A out. No. of sherds 58, weight 802 gm.
                                             - - - - - - - - - - -
VP 21. Black loam and chalk specks, upper fill of Ditch A. 13m½ -15m from kerb. No. of sherds 60, weight 1,476 gm.
VP38. Brown clay and chalk lumps, lower fill of Ditch B under VP21 -13½ -15m. No. of sherds 8, weight 94 gm.
                                            - - - - - - - - - - -
VP 4. Black soil with chalk specks and flints. Top 10 – 15 cm of top fill of Ditch A. 1m cut through ditch 11-12m from kerb. No. of sherds 170, weight 1,268 gm.
VP 5. Light brown loam with chalk specks and flints. Approx. 20cm lower fill of Ditch A. No. of sherds 78, weight 548 gm.
VP 8. Light brown loam, mostly small chalk lumps, fill of lower portion of Ditch B, ( top cut through by Ditch A ). Section 1 No. of sherds 4, weight 24 gm.
                                           - - - - - - - - - - -
VP 6. Black soil with chalk specks and flints. Top 15 cm of fill of Ditch A. 1m cut through ditch ?m from kerb edge. No. of sherds 91, weight 738 gm.
VP 9. Light brown loam with many chalk specks, some flints. Lower fill Ditch A.  Under VP6. No. of sherds 91, weight 648 gm.
VP 13. Light brown loam with chalk specks, some flints. Lower fill of Ditch B. Below VP9. No. of sherds 4, weight 22 gm.
                                           - - - - - - - - - - -
VP 10. Black loam with chalk specks, some flints. Top fill of Ditch A, 9 to 10m from kerb edge 1m cut through ditch. No. of sherds 45, weight 380 gm.
VP 12. Light brown loam with chalk specks, some flints, Lower fill of Ditch A. Below VP10. 1m cut. No. of sherds 37, weight 310 gm.
VP 14. Light brown loam, mostly chalk lumps fill of lower portion of Ditch B, Some sherds of pottery, pocket of soil in ditch fill near top. Below VP12. No. of sherds 9, weight 132 gm.
                                          - - - - - - - - - - -
VP 11. Black loam with chalk specks, some flints. Top fill of Ditch A, ?m cut through ditch. No. of sherds 78, weight 528 gm.
VP 17. Light brown loam, with chalk specks, some flints. Lower fill of Ditch A. Below VP11. 7 - 8½ m from kerb. No. of sherds 44, weight 474 gm.
VP 18. Light brown loam, mostly chalk lumps, fill of lower portion of Ditch A or B? Below VP17. No. of sherds 5, weight 34 gm.
                                          - - - - - - - - - - -
VP 3
. Black soil with chalk specks and flints. Top 20 cm of Ditch A. 1m back from face of road terrace. No. of sherds 20, weight 314 gm.
                                          - - - - - - - - - - -
VP 2. Black soil with chalk specks and flints. Top of Ditch A in face of  terrace south of road. No. of sherd
s 18, weight 166 gm.

Ditches A + B, tiled hearth and Pit F

Ditch A and B from north-east – Section 2

 

Ditch A and B, and Pit F – North-east side of baulk 1m from Section 4

 

Ditch A and B, and Pit F from north-east – Section 4

Ditch A and B – Section 1 – drawn from south-west side

During the cleaning up of the top of ditch A following clearance by the J.C.B. a mass of burnt clay, flints and fragment of quernstone were revealed.

Cleaning up and excavation of the clay revealed what had been two complete Roman tegula roof tiles laid upside down to form the base of a hearth or oven. The intense heat from many fires had shattered them both into many pieces.

Also found by Charlie Capes whilst cleaning back the topsoil just to the north of the hearth was a bronze coin, a sestertius of Marcus Aurelius, AD 162-163 (TR P XVII). The reverse shows Salus standing left, feeding snake entwined round an altar. The catalogue reference is RIC 843 (Roman Imperial Coinage). Rome mint.

                                  Obv : IMP CAES M AVREL ANTONINVS AVG P M
                                  Rev : SALVTI AVGVSTOR TR P XVII COS III S C

Excavation of the top of the end of ditch A just south-west of the tiled hearth revealed masses of carbon, possibly the debris from the remains of many domestic cooking fires that had taken place nearby.

Ditch A during excavation.

Ditch B continuing towards the house, View Point from north-east – Section 6

Ditch B from north-east – Section 6.

   View of Ditches A and B under excavation from the north-east.

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