Linear drainage ditches and a series of rubbish pits were dicovered on land of Rolfe Lane in new Romney during an archaeological evaluation there.

Two ditches and a ditch terminus were located in trench 9, the ditches were aligned on the same orientation, north east to south west, and could have been used as early drainage system to prevent the Site from common inundations on marshy land. The first ditch was a shallow ditch that measured 0.70m wide and 0.07m deep, it was also seen in trench 10 where it was slighlty bigger:2.00m wide and 0.30m deep with flat base and moderate stepped sides. The second ditch presented concave base and moderate stepped/concave sides, measuring 1.20m wide and 0.32m deep. Continued beyond L.O.E. but does not correspond with any of the features from surrounding trenches. Animal bones and marine shells were found on its single fill together with 13th to 14th century sandy ware pottery. The ditch terminus which was also uncovered was truncated by a land drain along its northern end, measured 0.70m wide and 0.20m deep with concave base and shallow to moderate concave sides. Animal bone, oyster shell, fired clay and pottery was retrieved from the upper fill. The pottery, sandy ware was dated to the 13th to 14th century. Another medieval ditch was located in trench 10, it ran parrallel with the ditch which extended into trench 9 and was seen to cut it. This ditch measured 2.40m wide and 0.60m deep with a slightly undulating base and moderate to steep stepped sides. The ditch continues beyond L.O.E. but does not relate with any other feature in nearby trenches. The finds include animal bone, oyster shell, roofing slate, roof tile dated from 15th to 16th century and sandy/shelly ware from 13th to 14th century.

Rubbish pits were also located at the site. One was located in Trench 9 a sub circular shape in plan, flat base and concave and steep sides. It measured 1.90m long, 1.20m wide and 0.35m deep. The feature produced animal bone, two iron nails and three pottery sherds identified as medieval Lydd fabrics dating from 13th to 14th century. A group of three rubbish pits were also located in trench 24. the first was suboval in plan, slightly concave at the base and with moderate concave sides. It measured 2.76m long x 1.08m wide and 0.52m deep. Its single fill produced two sherds of sandy/shelly ware and one sandy ware pottery all dated from 13th to 14th century. This pit truncated earlier pit which was suboval in plan, slightly concave at the base and with moderate stepped/concave sides. It measured 5.14m long x 1.10m wide and 0.53m deep. Its fill contained several sherds of sandy/shelly ware dated from 13th to 14th century and one sherd of flint-tempered ware of 12th to 13th century. A third possibly even earler pit was also identified during the excvatoin of the first two, the fill of this pit produced several sherds of sandy ware and sandy/shelly ware fabric dated as 13th to 14th century. (1)

A continuation of one of the ditches found in trench 10 was uncovered during a strip map and sample excavtion which was also carried out at the site (Area 1). Here it was aligned northeast to southwest, and measured 20.31m+ long, 1.6m wide and had an average depth of 0.51m. The ditches profile had moderate sloping straight sides with concave base. Parallel to this ditch and partially truncated by it was an earlier ditch dated as medieval, which also terminated at the northeast end, truncated by a tree throw. The ditch measured 4.50m long x 1.37m wide x 0.35m deep with flat base and steep sides.

There were also several further medieval rubbish pits located within the excavation area. Adjacent to the north eastern edge of the Area a cluster of medieval pits was Identified, some of which were intercutting, the first of these was sub-circular in plan, with flat base and shallow concave sides. It measured 1.40m long, 1.30 wide and 0.12m deep. It truncated an earlier ditch which was sub oval in plan, measuring 2.20m long, 2.00m wide and 0.16m deep, with a flat base and shallow irregular side. Just north of these another group of three intercutting pits was identified. The latest of these features was sub-oval in plan with flat base and shallow concave sides that measured 3.25m long x 0.75m wide x 0.34m deep. To the south of this cluster another was sub-oval in plan with flat base, the sides of the feature were steep and straight on the northeast side and irregular on the southwest side. It measured 2.06m long x 1.34m wide x 0.57m deep. The stepped side to the southwest suggests that could have been used as water hole for animals during the medieval period. The final pit was located towards the northeast corner of area A. It was sub-oval in plan with flat base and steep straight sides, measuring 1.02m long, 0.80m wide and 0.33m deep. During its investigation, medieval pottery was retrieved but it function remains uncertain.(2-3) (information summarised from sources)

<1> CgMS, 2017, Land at Rolfe Lane New Romney Kent: archaeological evaluation (Unpublished document). SKE52874.

<2> CgMs, 2017, Strip, map and sample, excavation report, Land at Rolfe Lane, New Romney, Kent (Unpublished document). SKE52458.

<3> CgMs, 2017, Strip, Map and Sample Excavation, Interim Summary, Land at Rolfe Lane, New Romney, Kent (Unpublished document). SKE53049.