Area of archaeological activity found during building work for extension of St. Mary's Primary School. The evidence is part of a larger archaeological complex the extent of which is unknown. Two terraces which are likely to be contemporary with a ditch also located within the trench but could be of either prehistoric or Medieval date.(1)

A pit was uncovered, with a diameter of approximately 1.9m situated to the north east of the excavated area, slightly less than half of it was exposed. The upper 0.5m of the surviving filling was excavated but probing revealed that it continued for at least another 1.2m below this, indicating an overall minimum depth of 2.5m from the top of the original chalk surface. The filling of the pit consisted of a series of brown and grey clay loams, with chalk and flint lumps and carbon specks. These yielded a combined total of 28 pot sherds, mostly datable to the period c. 1175-1225, but also included a residual sherd of Roman samian ware. There was also a quantity of animal bone and marine shell, fragments of burnt daub, metal working waste, an iron key and several nails. (1-2)

<1> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 2001, Report on Archaeological Watching Brief at St. Marys Primary School
Report on an Archaeological Watching-brief at St Mary's Primary School, Dover, 2001 (Unpublished document). SKE7904.

<2> Keith Parfitt, 2010, Archaeologia Cantiana: Medieval Upmarket ward of Dover. Vol. 130 (Article in serial). SKE31765.