Monument record TQ 97 SE 1291 - Three Iron Age pits and two Iron Age ditches, Roman urned cremation burial and a series of pits.

Within the excavation area, three Iron Age pits and two ditches were identified and excavated. The pits measured 1.52-3.04m in diameter, 0.2-0.23m in depth, and contained sherds of Iron Age pottery within their fills. One of the ditches measured around 40m in length, 1.2m in width, and 0.2m in depth. Later prehistoric pottery was recovered from the feature. Interpretation of the ditches thus far is that they are field boundaries and the inclusion of the pits suggest that these features may have formed part of an Iron Age farmstead and field system.

A Roman urned cremation burial excavated from the north of the excavation area had been placed at the base of a pit. A dish and broken flagon were also placed adjacent to the urn within the pit. The cut of the cremation burial was 0.38m by 0.36m and had a depth of 0.25m. The pottery excavated from the pit were Early Roman in date with a terminus post quem of c. AD 70. Burnt human bone was recovered from the contents of the urn and was collected as an environmental sample. Presence of all fragments from skeletal areas were noted (skull, axial, upper limb and lower limb) noted. Charcoal was also present in the sample.

To the north-east of the excavation area, six large sub circular Roman pits were identified - five of which formed an approximate line.

To the Western part of the excavation area was a large pit measuring 5.4m diameter - initially thought to be two ditches. This large pit contained fired clay fragments of an oven plate.

The southern half of the excavation area consisted of a further seven pits all of which contained Roman pottery. The finds excavated from these pits indicate that they were likely refuse pits.

The features identified as well as the finds suggest that this was potentially some form of Roman settlement. (1)

<1> Archaeology South - East, 2023, Archaeological Excavations, The Slips, Scocles Road, Minster-on-Sea, Kent, ME12 3SN: Post-Excavation Assessment (Unpublished document). SKE55808.

<1> Archaeology South - East, 2023, The Slips, Scocles Road, Minster-on-Sea, Kent, ME12 3SN: Archaeological Evaluation Report (Unpublished document). SKE55807.