Victoria
County History of Kent Vol. 3
1932 - Romano-British
Kent - Roads - Page 137
The next visible section of the road is within the fence of Cobham Park
near Brewer’s Gate, and it can be traced, sometimes inside the Park and
sometimes merging into the disused modern road, for nearly a mile to
Scaler’s Hill, where for another half mile its course is marked by a
conspicuous though overgrown channel. Indications of a paving were met
with in this channel several years ago.
For the next 4 miles parish boundaries lie along the way; Hasted says that
the Roman road was visible near Singlewell at the end of the 18th century.
No signs of the road were noted during the construction of the modern
arterial road in 1921—22, but a tile cist was discovered 200 yds. east
of Northumberland Bottom on the line of the road,7 and close by
was a well-stratified shaft, probably a rubbish tip. At Springhead (see
above, p. 92), sections of the Roman road were seen in excavations for the
arterial road ;8 and near here, at Shorne Warren, was found in 1907 the
rough inscribed roadstone now in Maidstone
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Museum. On this stone, Mr. R. G. Collingwood has kindly supplied the following
note :—" It is about 47 inches high by about 23 wide. Haverfield
and Cheesman’s reading (Eph. Epigr. ix, 991) is correct as to
text, but I have been able to detect a few more letters by making a
contact-drawing eliminating the modern inscription which has been cut over
it and confuses the eye. The letters thus deciphered read :—
DD NN
LA VAL
SEVEROEI
GAL. VAL
MAXIMI
NO NOBL
D(ominis) n(ostris) [F]la(vio) Val(erio) Severo e[t]
Gal(erio) Val(erio) Maximino nob [i]l(issimis) [Caes(aribus)].
Flavius Severus and Maximin Daia were created Caesars, on the abdication
of Diocletian and Maximian, May 305; in July 306 Constantine I assumed the
title of Caesar and Flavius Severus took that of Augustus ; the
inscription therefore falls between these two dates."
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Fig. 31. Inscription on supposed
Milestone found at Shorne Warren
(From drawing by R. G. Collingwood in
‘Roman Inscriptions Series’)
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Traces of the road may be seen a mile or so further on at the
north side
of the cutting through Telegraph Hill,9 and again near St. Mary’s
Home; and then following a straight line, it reaches Dartford Brent and
descends
7 Arch. Cant. xl, 29. Topographical
Index. s.v. Northfleet.
8 Ant.
Journ. viii, 338; Journ. R. Studies, xl, 223.
9 In view of a rumour that has gained currency during the last few years,
it may be worth while to mention that the two concrete piers flanking the
road at the top of Telegraph Hill do not contain Roman relics discovered
when the road was constructed; and in view of the occasional discoveries
of pottery on the banks of the cutting, it should be noted that the banks
of clay were consolidated by a dressing of earth obtained from Springhead.
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