Monument record TQ 75 NW 82 - Late Iron Age/Early Romano-British occupation at Tottington Farm, Aylesford

Asymmetrical rectilinear enclosure with rounded corners and a square enclosure inside it, two linear features further subdivide the interior and a track runs across the enclosures west side. (1)

Geophysical survey of cropmark site. The survey confirmed that the cropmarks survive. A second smaller enclosure was also detected to the north-west of the main enclosure. (2)

A number of significant features were located during this evaluation some of which had already been located by geophysical survey. Trenches 1 and 3 contained no archaeology, and the archaeology in the others mainly consisted of pits and ditches. These are thought to date from the late pre-Roman Iron Age and the early Roman period (mid first century BC to mid to late first century AD), though some features may be of prehistoric origin.

The presence of opus signinum, the ridge tile and domestic waste material suggests settlement activity in the immediate area. The nature of the occupation can not be determined at this stage as there is no physical evidence for any structures or building foundations. However, the presence of building material almost certainly means that there must have been some form of building nearby.

A substantial number of features with dateable fills were examined, many of them interpreted as enclosure ditches. A large number of these had been re-cut on several occasions, implying longevity of use for the area. The presence of Opus signinum, ridge tile and domestic waste would suggest settlement activity in the immediate area. (3)

<1> AP (CUC BQA 8-10; 19 6 74) (OS Card Reference). SKE33431.

<2> The Clark Laboratory, 1998, Tottington Farm, Aylesford, Kent, Report on Archaeogeophysical Survey 1998 (Unpublished document). SKE12138.

<3> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 1999, Archaeological Evaluation Tottington Farm Aylesford Maidstone, Kent TQ 7320 5945 (Unpublished document). SKE7241.