Beneath the villa were found shallow ditches relating to settlement of Belgic date. More ditches and pits were found to the south and west, and an extensive site is indicated. (2)(3) No remains, the site is now occupied by the playing fields of Queen Elizabeth's School. (4)

The majority of pottery from the Iron Age features on the Faversham villa site was classified as "late Belgic" by G. Clewley in the excavation report (Authority 2), but Rodwell stated that some of the vessels were clearly earlier and may be La Tene II; the remainder spanning the whole of the "Belgic" period. (5)

A complex of post holes in front of and under the Faversham villa (PH 1-12 on Authority 2 plan) were partly interpreted as forming a timber veranda. Rodwell, however, could not altogether accept this view on the limited evidence, and as at Lockleys, Herts (TL 21 NW 2), he saw the posthole complex as possibly representing part of a late Iron Age or early Roman building, ante dating the villa. (6)

An Iron Age potin coin was found at Faversham during excavations by Brian Philp in 1965 (7-8).

From the National Heritage List for England:

The monument includes the below-ground remains of the medieval Royal Abbey of St Saviour, a first century AD Iron Age farmstead and of the Faversham Roman villa, where these have not been the subject of modern development. The Iron Age farmstead and Roman villa are situated within and towards the eastern edge of the later abbey precinct. …

In addition to revealing the plan of the abbey, the 1965 excavations also revealed the remains of a first century AD farmstead and ditch system, which is thought to have fallen into disuse in the later part of that century, and a Roman villa. The ditch system is associated with a large enclosure, thought to have been a cattle compound and to have been associated with domestic huts. The first Roman building was constructed partly over the ditch system c.AD 70- 100.

1998, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11420.

1998, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11421.

1998, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11422.

1998, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11423.

<2> Oral - B J Philp, W Wickham - 9 11 65 (OS Card Reference). SKE47886.

<3> Philp, B. J., 1968, Excavations at Faversham, 1965: The Royal Abbey, Roman Villa and Belgic farmstead (Monograph). SWX7188.

<4> KAR 2 1965 23 (B Philp) (OS Card Reference). SKE45251.

<5> F1 CFW 18-NOV-69 (OS Card Reference). SKE42635.

<6> BAR Supplement Ser 11 1976 - Oppida in Barbarian Europe (ed B Cuncliffe and T Rowley) 235 (W Rodwell (OS Card Reference). SKE37599.

<7> Supp Gaz Celtic Coins 1977 - London Univ Occ Paper 11a 46 (C Haselgrove) (OS Card Reference). SKE49722.

<8> Philp, B. J., 1998, Roman Villas in the Swale Area (Article in serial). SWX7651.