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
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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.
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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
61,
weight 462 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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VP 2. Black soil with chalk specks and flints. Top of Ditch A
in face of terrace south of road. No. of
sherds 18, weight 166
gm. |
Ditches A + B, tiled hearth and Pit F
Ditch A and B from north-east – Section 2
Ditches A and B
Ditch A and B, and Pit F – North-east side of baulk 1m from
Section 4
Ditches A and B, and pit F
Ditch A and B, and Pit F from north-east –
Section 4
Section drawing of ditches A and B, and pit F
Ditch A and B – Section 1 – drawn from
south-west side
Section drawing of ditches A and B
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.
Mass of burnt clay etc from above
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.
Two complete, but now shattered by
heat, tegula roof tiles as base of oven
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
Bronze coin, a sestertius
of Marcus Aurelius, AD 162-163 (TR P XVII).
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.
Excavation of the top of the end of ditch A
just south-west of the tiled hearth
Ditch A during excavation.
Ditch A during excavation
Ditch B continuing towards the house, View
Point from north-east – Section 6
Ditch B during excavation
Ditch B from north-east – Section 6.
Section drawing of ditch B
View of Ditches A and B under
excavation from the north-east.
Ditches A, B and C under
excavation from the north-east