Monument record TQ 84 NW 249 - Roman enclosures, furnaces, trackways, and inhumation burial, Haven Farm, Sutton Valence

In 2011 Archaeology South-East carried out an evaluation and a strip, map and sample excavation at Haven Farm, Sutton Valence. Most of the features uncovered dated to the Roman period. There were three phases of activity on the site all probably dating to the second half of the 1st century with limited later Roman activity. The earliest phase consisted of three irregularly-shaped enclosures and two tracks. A furnace had been used within these, smelting slag being found in the backfilling of the structure. Two other furnaces were also found but could not be linked to this first phase. A semi-complete vessel was deposited in one furnace, perhaps representing a special deposit following the disuse of the furnace. The second phase of activity completely replaced the earlier enclosures with a new trackway and a field ditch. Dumped material suggests that domestic occupation was located near to the site, most likely immediately to the west. A fence was also constructed across the site at this time and a number of pits were dug. The third phase of early Roman activity featured a masonry wall and a hollow way. The masonry wall was partially robbed and was made of ragstone blocks. It is likely that the wall represents a boundary rather than part of a building, given the absence of large quantities of ceramic building material across the rest of the site. It has been suggested that it could relate or be similar to the walled cemetery found 200m to the southeast (TQ 84 NW 1).

In late Roman period an isolated inhumation of a juvenile was buried in the west of the site. The skeleton was badly decayed but had been laid out on a north-south alignment and had been accompanied by two complete vessels, a jar and a flagon, placed by the ankles. The flagon was a Alice Holt white-slipped vessel dating to around AD 270-400 but the jar was of Late Iron Age/early Roman date. (1)

Later features dating to the medieval period (TQ 84 NW 250) were also identified at the site. Environmental remains sampled from a Roman and a medieval feature were analysed, revealing the presence of burnt and unburnt mammal bones, teeth, fish bones, and plant remains. However, charred material in the samples was too limited to provide interpretations regarding plant use in the area. (2)

<1> Archaeology South-East, 2012, Post-excavation Assessment and Updated Project Design, Archaeological Excavation at Haven Farm, North Street, Sutton Valence (Unpublished document). SKE17560.

<2> Archaeology South-East, 2011, An Archaeological Evaluation at Haven Farm, North Street near Sutton Valence Kent (Unpublished document). SKE58277.