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The Roman Pottery of Kent by Dr Richard J. Pollard  -  Chapter 4  page 36
Doctoral thesis completed in 1982, published 1988

coarse wares, in contrast, exhibit marked differentiation between west and east Kent over most of the Roman period, and are described under the regional headings 'the Medway valley and west Kent', 'Kent east and south of the Forest of Blean' (including the valley of the Great Stour) and 'the Swale plain'. The latter region represents the area of overlap of western and eastern styles and marketing zones for most of the Roman period. The area of historic Kent now incorporated into Greater London is included in the 'West Kent' region for convenience, although there are certain distinctions between ceramic assemblages of this area and of the area between the Cray and Medway valleys owing to the proximity of London.

I. THE PRE-FLAVIAN TO EARLY FLAVIAN
                                        PERIOD, c. A.D. 43-75

1. The Fine Wares

The Roman conquest of south-eastern Britain in A.D. 43 does not appear to have had an immediate impact upon the trade in pottery between the indigenous inhabitants of Kent and the Continental fine ware industries. The most widespread 'fine' (as opposed to grog-tempered) high-quality pottery of the pre-Flavian period is of Gallo-Belgic derivation, imported from Gallia Belgica (Rigby 1973) and possibly also from Colchester (Rigby 1981, 160) and other British concerns (e.g. Eccles: Detsicas 1977a). These wares, excepting the Eccles products, may have been circulating in Kent prior to the Conquest: this is certainly the case at Canterbury, and probably also at high-status sites such as Rochester (although there is no positive evidence), Loose Quarry Wood (Kelly 1971), and Worth (Klein 1928 - unpublished material relates to late pre-Conquest - early