An archaeological evaluation was carried out on the land at the St. Lawrence Cricket Ground in Kent in January 2008. The evaluation consisted of ten archaeological trenches.

Throughout the trenches finds such as fragments of pegtiles, natural flints and chalk flecking was common.

In trench five a cremation burial was found with vertical and circular cut sides and a flat base, inside were large quantities of charcoal and burnt bone (it is not stated in the report whether these remains were human). In 2008 the cremation was interpreted as Roman in date but re-assessment in 2013 (EKE16745) concluded it was probably prehistoric.

In trench six alongside natural rounded flints and large quantities of chalk flecking, there was a single sherd of prehistoric pottery found.

In trench seven there were two featues identified, the first was a sub circuluar feature with steeply sloping sides and a flat base (TR 15 NE 1813). Inside of which was burnt flint and a flint scraper of the late Neolithic to Early Bronze Age Period. The other feature was a tree bole and within this trench was also found a possible fragment of Roman brick and a lump of iron slag.

Trench ten contained several form of flint (natural, burnt, rounded) alongside a single sherd of medieval pottery.

The Roman cremation burial was found close to the line of the Roman road to Dover, typical of burial practices of the period and so suggests there could be further isolated burials of this type in the area. The discovery of the prehistoric pit also raises the possibility that further features of this date may also exist in the area. (1)

Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 2008, Archaeological Evaluation of land at St Lawrence Cricket Ground, Canterbury, Kent (Unpublished document). SKE52093.