Monument record TQ 75 NE 37 - Roman Cemetery near Westree Road, Maidstone

[TQ 7552 5531] ROMAN BURIAL GROUND [R] [Name centred: TQ 7555 5518] Site of a [NAT] ROMANO BRITISH CEMETERY [R] (1,2)

A Roman cemetery was found in 1859-60 at Westborough, Maidstone on the left bank of the Medway, between the Old Grammar School and the West Station, in a nursery at the top of the bank of the former Tunbridge-Maidstone road, which now runs farther to the north. The E half of the cemetery only was excavated and lay under the new nursery garden of Mr. Epps. The remainder of the cemetery was crossed by a road and being laid out for nursery purposes was not disturbed. About 25 to 30 skeletons and some 150 urns of pottery and glass with burnt bones and some coins are estimated to have been found, but the urns were almost completely destroyed by the finders. Indications of the cemetery have been noticed some distance SW of the station and nearer the engine house [formerly at TQ 7550 5511] (3-6)

The 1/1250 site is occupied by a builder's yard; the O.S.6" 1865 site by Maidstone Tech. College. No finds are held by Maidstone Museum. No further information has been discovered concerning this burial ground. (7)

(8)

Evaluation trenching in advance of development at TQ 7546 5530 (Westree Rd) did not identify any evidence of the cemetery and suggested it did not extend in that direction. Some residual Romano-British, Medieval and post medieval pottery fragments found, but only enough to suggest that spread through manuring of fields. (9)

Evaluation close to RB cemetery discovered in 1859 nearby (10).

Evaluation at Corben's Yard. No evidence for the Roman cemetery was revealed (11).

<1> OS 1/1250 1958 (OS Card Reference). SKE48117.

<2> OS 6" 1865-7 (OS Card Reference). SKE48304.

<3> VCH Kent 3 1932 100-1 (R E M Wheeler) (OS Card Reference). SKE50987.

<4> Arch Cant 2 1859 143-8 (Beale Poste) (OS Card Reference). SKE34803.

<5> Arch Cant 15 1884 71 (Canon Scott Robertson) (OS Card Reference). SKE34745.

<6> Maidstone Museum Arch Gazetteer (in progress) Anon undated (OS Card Reference). SKE46417.

<7> F1 ASP 05.03.64 (OS Card Reference). SKE41928.

<8> Field report for monument TQ 75 NE 36 - March, 1964 (Bibliographic reference). SKE3807.

<9> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, Westree Road, Maidstone. Archaeological evaluation, September-November 1996 (Unpublished document). SKE13226.

<10> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 1997, Westree Road, Maidstone, Landscaping Phase: Archaeological evaluation (Unpublished document). SKE7160.

<11> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 2002, Archaeological evaluation of land at Corben's Yard, Tonbridge Road. Maidstone, Kent. (Unpublished document). SKE13222.