Aspects of Kentish Local History

IN the early hours of June 1st, 1942, German aircraft dropped five bombs in the woodlands around Tyler Hill. One of these fell near the junction of the old highway and the present modern road at the far end of the village, where the old woodland gives place to more open country. At this spot, shown on Andrew's, Dury's and Herbert's Map of Kent of 1769 as Jerusalem, although no record of any hill-top maze is forthcoming, and on other early maps as Cheesecourt Gate, a woodland track running from Blean to Broad Oak crosses the road junction.
   The bomb made a large crater some 30 ft. in diameter, and revealed the presence there of masses of pottery sherds in the highly disturbed soil lying above the London Clay of the district. High level flint drift covers the clay which has proved suitable for the manufacture of pottery from early times. It would appear that the bomb opened up the site of a kiln which made household wares, but the actual kiln has not yet been found.
   The masses of sherds, some only partly baked, packed one on another, are doubtless remains of wasters thrown out by the old potters. No over-fired pots have yet been found. The type is characteristic of much that has been 

excavated at Stonar, and can be provisionally dated as of the late thirteenth century.
   From the sherds it would seem that the kiln principally turned out sagging base vessels with flat rims, basins, and tall-necked jugs covered with a greenish glaze. Ornamentation on these consists of bands of incised lines on shoulders and bodies with saw-tooth or wavy scoring between. A finger-made scale pattern is another decorative motive. One example of a very rough bridge spout has been noted. Some of the decorative features on the cooking vessels—fingered rims and raised finger-impressed bands—recall Early Iron Age types.
No grotesque figures have yet been found but in this connection it may be mentioned that there is in the Beaney Museum at Canterbury a grotesque pottery fragment which was found at Tyler Hill.
It is to be hoped that further excavation on this site may be carried out as much work still remains to be done on the study of medieval pottery. What has been done already is mainly due to the exertions of Mrs. Gardiner, J. P., and members of the Canterbury Archeological Society.