Monument record TR 15 NE 1813 - Prehistoric pit at St. Lawrence Cricket Ground, Old Dover Road, Canterbury, Kent

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 Roman 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 trench six, alongside natural rounded flints and large quantities of chalk flecking, there was a single sherd of prehistoric pottery found. (1)

The cremation burial has since been reinterpreted as prehistoric in date, suggesting that the main phase of occupation at the site was prehistoric rather than Roman. (2)

In trench seven there were two features identified, the first was a sub-circular feature with steeply sloping sides and a flat base. 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 forms of flint (natural, burnt, rounded) alongside a single sherd of medieval pottery.

The discovery of the prehistoric pit also raises the possibility that further features of this date may also exist in the area. (1)

<1> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 2008, Archaeological Evaluation of land at St Lawrence Cricket Ground, Canterbury, Kent (Unpublished document). SKE52093.

<2> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 2013, Old Dover Road frontage, Kent County Cricket Club, St Lawrence Ground, Kent, Archaeological Evaluation Report (Unpublished document). SKE51477.