RESEARCHES AND DISCOVERIES IN KENT, 1899-1900. BY GEORGE PAYNE, F.L.S., F.S.A. GREENSTREET GREEN, DARENTH.-On the eastern side of the road which runs from the Green to Horton Kirby, a man engaged in planting a row of damson trees along the fence of the meadows adjoining Rye Croft Wood came upon a Roman interment close to the edge of the road. He unearthed a huge amphora of the globular form, of a red buff colour, with two handles, containing a very small quantity of calcined human bones. By its side lay a small urn-vase of Durobrivian ware, and an iron lamp-stand. In response to a letter from the Rev. G. Bancks I visited the site, in company with himself, Messrs. Percy and Lewis Hassell, Dr. Woodruff, and Mr. Samuel Mitton Waterfield, the owner of the property. On my requesting to have the grave-space reopened, Mr. Waterfield at once kindly caused this to be done. When the pit was cleared out it measured 3 feet 4 inches from E. to W., 4 feet 4 inches from N. to S., and 3 feet in depth. On testing the sides of the grave, which had been excavated in gravel, I found the western side very loose, and on cautiously removing the gravel, discovered a pseudo-Samian patera, and a goblet with handle of red clay, much to the gratification and astonishment of the owner and my friends who were present. The workman who made the first discovery stated that the sepulchral deposit was packed round with large flints for protection. The dimensions of the vessels are as follows: Amphora.-Height, 21 inches; diameter, 21 inches. Goblet. Height, 9 inches; diameter of bulge, 63 inches; mouth, 1 inches; base, 2 inches. Putera.-Height, 1 inches; diameter, 7 inches. The use of amphora as receptacles for cremated bones is very uncommon in Kent. Two were found in Joy Wood, Boughton Monchelsea, and are now in the Maidstone Museum; another, in the Dover Museum, was discovered at Buckland. HENLEY WOOD, LUDDESDOWN.-During excavations for gravel in this wood a labourer met with a small vase of Durobrivian ware, which is now in the possession of Mr. Smith-Masters of Camer, the owner of the property. When inspecting the site I interviewed an interesting old man named Esau Lott, who was born in 1813, and in full possession of all his faculties. He informed me that about fifty years ago an urn containing coins was found in a field close to Little Buckland, formerly called "Old Lands." It is now a fruit plantation by the southern side of the Sole Street cutting of the London, Chatham and Dover Railway. Lott also remembered several human skeletons being found when a hedge was grubbed along the road leading from Luddesdown to Meopham. The bones were re-interred in Luddesdown Churchyard by order of the Rev. Shepherd, then Rector of the parish. He further stated that there was formerly a flour-mill on the hill by Mrs. Wigan's house, and that it was removed from Peasemarsh in Sussex and re-erected at Luddesdown. The grist used to be carried away by pack-horses. In Henley Wood there is a rampart, square in form, enclosing a large acreage, which attracted my attention. On asking a woodcutter, who was an intelligent man, if he knew anything about it, he replied, “Do you mean the cam ?" On enquiring what that was, he said, "The bank in the wood." My interest was immediately awakened, remembering that Halliwell, in his Archaic Dictionary, gives the derivation of "cam" as "an old earthen mound." I have only once before heard this term made use of in Kent, and then in reference to a hollow containing a group of Sarsen stones, in a wood called Swingate Fall, about two miles from Horsted. As Henley Wood forms a portion of and joins the Camer estate, it seems to me that we have here a probable explanation of the name of Mr. Smith-Masters' property. Within the area enclosed by the "cam" a Roman vase has been found, and when other discoveries are made the foregoing remarks may be of service. WICKHAM FARM, NEAR STROOD.---On the high land to the west of Messrs. Martin, Earle, and Company's Cement Works, between the South Eastern and London, Chatham and Dover Railway lines, a large mound, known to most people in the locality by the name of "The Giant's Grave," existed until lately, which was regarded by some as a long barrow. During the spring of 1899 the mound was entirely demolished, and I was courteously permitted by the Company to watch the work of demolition, and fully empowered to take any steps that I deemed necessary should any discovery be made. The mound measured 209 feet in length, 42 feet in width at the base, from 6 to 8 feet in height, and was composed entirely of chalk. After three-fourths of it had been removed, an iron shot, weighing 314 lbs., was met with on the eastern slope near the base, and embedded about a foot from the surface. Shortly after a shot of 18 lbs. came to light, and nothing more. This confirms the opinion I had always held that the mound had been thrown up for some purpose connected with the defences of the River Medway. These facts are recorded simply to set at rest the theory that it was of sepulchral origin. The natural chalk below the mound was carefully tested, with a negative result. acres. NURSTEAD, NEAR MEOPHAM.-Major-General Edmeades kindly invited me to inspect the entrenchments on his property in Nurstead Wood The ramparts extend in a somewhat rectangular form over the entire area of the wood, which contains about twenty-five We also visited Cossendon Wood, half-a-mile distant, where similar remains exist. In each wood is a circular mound, that at Cossendon being very fine and symmetrical, about fifteen paces over. Both appear to be barrows, and have been opened, but improperly, and not down to their bases. In these woods are several of those circular depressions which are so common and inexplicable. DARTFORD. Mr. E. C. Youens kindly communicated by wire that interiments had been discovered. I went with him to the Dartford Cement Company's Works, and found that two graves had been met with at the top of the chalk quarry, between the Works and the road leading from the eastern end of Dartford High Street to Joyce Green. The skeletons lay in graves, side by side, 2 feet 6 inches from the surface. Nothing was observed with them but a second brass of Claudius, which reads thus: Obverse, TI . CLAVDIVS. CAESAR. AVG. PM. TRP. IMP.; reverse, a figure with shield on left arm, poising a weapon in the right hand; in exergue, The skeletons lay north and south, head to the north. Mr. Hewitt, Manager of the Works, presented me with the coin, and kindly offered every assistance in the event of future discoveries being made. sc. vast NORTHFLEET.-Workmen employed in excavating chalk in the quarry of the London Portland Cement Company at Northfleet, when removing the surface soil, accidentally cut through three or four Jutish graves. Nothing was observed with them but an iron spear-head, which I secured. The site of these discoveries is known as Church Field, which lies to the south of Northfleet Church, and joins the cutting there of the North Kent Railway. I am indebted to Mr. E. C. Youens for notice of the discovery, and to Mr. Jas. Huntley, the Manager of the Works, who kindly arranged for a more careful supervision in future. TEYNHAM-Mr. Herbert Bing informs me that he has removed the foundations of the Roman building discovered on Buckland Farm many years ago by the late Mr. William Bland, in order that fruit-trees might be planted on the site. During the work of destruction the labourers found several coins, which Mr. Bing kindly sent to me for identification. They include the following: Tetricus, 1; Constantine the Great, 1; Arcadius, 2; Illegible, 2— all small brass, and one, illegible, of second brass. ROCHESTER.-While digging a cesspool in the garden in rear of No. 16 Roebuck Road, on the north side of the way, the workmen came upon a Jutish grave at 3 feet from the surface, cut in the chalk. The skeleton lay east and west, head to the west, at full length. By the skull, on the left side, a fine spear-head, 14 inches in length, was met with. On receipt of a message kindly sent to me by Mr. Sills, Assistant-Surveyor to the Corporation of Rochester, I proceeded to the spot, and cleared out the remaining portion of the grave, when I found just below the left knee a remarkable iron ferrule of a lance-shaft, 1 inches in diameter and length. Inside is a spike which helped to fix the ferrule to the shaft, and at the base of the former is a spike 2 inches in length. This is a novelty, and may be compared with a smaller example found at Kingston Down, and figured in Inventorium Sepulchrale, p. 72. On looking over the material thrown out from this grave by the workmen, I found an iron girdle buckle. While I was at work another cesspool was being excavated in the garden adjoining (No. 14), when three more graves were brought to light. These I was kindly permitted to explore by Mr. John Foord, the tenant. Each grave contained the remains of a skeleton; one lay north and south, head to the north; the others north and south, heads to the south. No relics were found in either grave, all three of which were 4 feet in depth, 6 feet in length, and 2 feet 8 inches in width. These discoveries are a continuation of those made by me at Watts Avenue a few years ago (see Archæologia Cantiana, Vol. XXI., p. lv; Vol. XXII., pp. liv―lviii), and extend the Jutish cemetery much nearer to the southern boundary of the Roman wall of Durobriva (Rochester). STROOD.-On clearing the ground for laying the foundations of Messrs. Budden and Biggs' new brewery at Strood, twelve pits were discovered, both square and round, having an average diameter of 4 feet, and depth of 10 feet. All of them were filled with rich dark earth, and yielding towards their bases an abundant store of Roman remains of a miscellaneous nature, which it will be convenient to record in catalogue form, as follows: POTTERY. Pseudo-Samian Ware.-Fragment with a gladiator and paws of a lion upon it, and other pieces with floral patterns. Several pateræ, more or less imperfect, with the following potters' marks: The last name is stamped at the bottom, on the inside, of a fine plain bowl, possessing a flange round the bulge which projects an inch and a quarter. Its height 4 inches, and diameter 8 inches. Durobrivian Ware.-Two nearly perfect vases and portions of similar vessels with vertical indents round the sides. One vase measures thus: Height 5 inches, diameter of bulge 5 inches, mouth 4 inches, base 2 inches. Another, height 4 inches, diameter of bulge 4 inches, mouth 2 inches, base 18 inches. Fragment with hunting pattern in relief, shewing figure of a stag. Fragment with yellow pellets enclosed in circles. Upchurch Ware.-Several urn-vases, more or less perfect. One vase contained some oxidized bronze, which had corroded on to the |
