Victoria
County History of Kent Vol. 3
1932 - Romano-British
Kent - Towns - Page 94
Apart from the Roman foundations already
noted at Faversham itself other Roman structural remains have been
observed in this area. In a field near Elverton Lane, Luddenham, strong
foundations of flint-rubble, inclosing and subdividing a space about 54
yds. square, are recorded, and with them was noted a part of a
tessellated pavement and a hypocaust. The only coins mentioned appear to
have been two of Constantine I .76 Near by, in a field
west of Hog Brook, about two miles west-north-west of Faversham, other
foundations were seen in 185277 ; whilst at Buckland Church the
remains of ‘a small Roman villa’ (apparently distinct from the remains
just noted) were uncovered a few years before 1874.78
Less certain remains in the Faversham district might be multiplied almost
indefinitely. Here it will suffice to observe
|
Fig. 17. Map showing sites of Roman
remains in the vincinity of Ospringe and Faversham
(From Arch. Journ. lxxxvi, 299)
Based on the Ordnance Survey Map,
with the sanction of the Controller of H.M. Stationery Office
|
that at Black Lands, in Ewell, a mile east of
Faversham, is thought, somewhat vaguely and suspiciously, to be ‘the
site of a Roman villa which was destroyed by fire.79 The
ruined chapel of Stone has itself been regarded as partially of Roman
date, but there is no good reason for believing that any of its walls are
earlier than the Saxon period.
One possible structural relic of the Roman period is still
just recognizable above ground. On the top of Judd’s Hill, 900 yds. west
of the Maison Dieu at Ospringe, the mutilated remains of a bank and ditch
formerly inclosing an oblong area of about 400 ft. from north to south and
480 ft. from east to west (i.e. about 4⅓ acres) adjoins the Watling
Street on its southern side. In the south-western quarter of the inclosure
stands Syndale House, and generations of gardeners have played havoc with
the earthwork.80 The main road here was diverted slightly
to the northwards over half a century ago, and during the work ‘a great
quantity’ of Roman coins, pottery, and debris, including heaps of
oyster-shells, was found here, whilst coins of Hadrian, Marcus Aurelius,
76 Reliquary, xiii,
143. 77
Ibid.
78 Arch. Cant. ix, lxxi.
79 Ibid. ix, lxxi.
80 Arch Cant. ix, lxxiii.
|
Previous Page
Page 94 Next Page
For details about the advantages of membership of the Kent
Archaeological Society click
here
Back to Towns page listings
Back to Contents Page
Back to
Research Back
to Homepage
Kent Archaeological
Society is a registered charity number 223382
© Kent Archaeological Society May 2006
This website is constructed by
enthusiastic amateurs. Any errors noticed by other researchers will be
to gratefully received so
that we can amend our pages to give as accurate a record as possible.
Please send details to research@kentarchaeology.org.uk
|