CHAPTER III
A DIARY OF EXCAVATION
APRIL, 1924
In the next two chapters (III and IV) my aim is to do what I have not seen done before: to describe in
detail the minutiae of the processes of excavation from day to day. This description will best take the
form of a diary, the jottings from the pages of a notebook disfigured and often made nearly illegible by
mud from the trenches, or blistered by raindrops or hailstones. Quis leget hac? I have gathered that
such a record would be of interest to many. Perhaps, after all, half the world is justified in wanting to
know what the other half is doing or feeling, so long as it is doing or feeling honestly. But not half the
world excavates, and curiosity in the processes of digging is proportionately justifiable. At any rate,
the reader who looks only for results may turn at once to Chapter V.
Friday, April .—The secret had been well kept, so that when my daughter, Mr. Shaw Mellor, and I
arrived at the site this morning, for some hours we had it to ourselves. Somebody, however, had let
the cat out of the' bag the day before in the " Morning Post," and we did not anticipate or get a long
privacy. We began with a foreman and five men in medium weather; in spring the S.W. wind may blow
cold on these cliffs. Found my old trial hole (N.W. of the site) of last August, and began digging away
from it in two directions. Not long before return walls were found—a great relief, and the first coin—a
Constantine I—turned up. Nothing could be more characteristic of a Romano-British site. So we were
really among the Romans; and a bronze fibula was added before'evening.
9
10
ROMAN FOLKESTONE
Saturday, April 12.—Bad weather; two men and foreman only appeared, and hail and rain drove the
men off by midday; but foreman, my two helpers, and self weathered it out, carried on, and were
encouraged by continuity of walls. A puzzling little fragment of yellowish biscuit-like pottery,
ornamented with pitted holes, the impression of which goes through to the inner side.
Monday, April 14.—Thirteen men to-day, and the work goes with a swing. Began from trial hole in
S.E., and simply followed walls. Anxious to yet down to the drain and not able to follow it in from/the
cliff edge, took a probable direction and tried to i^ath it by going down about 25 ft. inland, expecting to
find it about 4 ft. down. The walls exposed have footings of big, rounded, sea-worn stones, I foot high,
lying on gault clay. On the footings one course of shaped stones with a regular continuous course of
mortar —not a " sneck " wall—the stones ranging from 6 to 9 in. in length, and width 4 in. This course
makes a set-off of 2 in. Width of walls, so far, either 1 ft. 11 in. or 2 ft. 1 in. The mortar joints are wide.
Ashlar face, and rubble and mortar filling. Marked out as field of operations a space of 90 by 60 yds.
Tuesday, April 15.—Again rainy weather, but full complement of twenty-four men. By the end of the
day opened up in N.W. Block (A) five rooms and part of corridor, width of rooms being 14 ft. 6 in.,
corridor 9 ft. wide. Great joy at getting what on the first day I had asked the men to find for me—tilestamp clasis • brit. (note spelling), at foot of the W. wall of corridor (24). Similar stamps had been
found at Dover, Lympne, Pevensey, and Etaples; but at Lympne and Pevensey simply cl • br. This
stamp is unique. Considered the site generally. It is sheltered from S.W. by the rising ground of Copt
Point (on which, I am told, neolithic flint implements have been found). It is a plateau or slight ridge
under the chalk cliffs. The erosion has lately been rapid ; a road laid out in 1880 has largely been
carried away. The site looks out S.E., is c. 130 ft. above O.D, and slopes
A DIARY OF EXCAVATION—APRIL, 1924 11
down between road and cliff edge about 20 ft. The Martello Tower No. 2, at the top of the ridge, is
about 20 ft. higher than the road. The ground had been plough-land, but
THE SITE IN RELATION TO ITS SURROUNDINGS
fanners often broke their shares on mysterious " rocks." Then it was under grass till 1914, when
allotment holders tried their hands, but the place was not popular; occasion-
/
12
ROMAN FOLKESTONE
ally the few deeper diggers hauled out big stones, but suspected nothing. We are on the top of gault
clay, here some 90 ft. deep. As to the slope, Stutfall Castle (the Roman fort at Lympne) was built on a
similar site. A landslide had buried the walls, to be dug out by Roach Smith (c. 1850). Are there walls
so concealed here ? A Pietas Augusta coin of Theodora found in corridor (24). So we are in the
fourth century.
Mr. Boyd Wallis of Folkestone offered help, and came till May 1. He had had some share, he said, in
the finding of the first indicia, so I gladly accepted his offer.
Wednesday, April 16.—A dies non, owing to bad weather.
Thursday, April 17.—In S.E. Block (B), aiming at the drain, and hacking through, did some small
damage to the top of a rounded wall. Realizing mistake in time, went deep, and found the arc of a
wall, faced with pink plaster; got down to big stepped buttress supporting wall. Speculation rife as to
what this should be. Theories—(i) Big circular base of a watch-tower (specula), (ii) A bastion on the
outside of wall bounding the station on the slope, (iii) Apse of a basilica, (iv) Apse of a bath.
Friday, April 18 (Good Friday).—Theory No. I most favoured. Aufidius Pantera, Prefect of the British
Fleet at Lemanis, among others, may have signalled direct to this tower. Just N. of this, working down
from top of a wall, found red bricks laid edgewise, forming the crown of an arch. Walls may be well,
but a Roman arch is a thrill. So thought the public, for as the day proceeded holiday folk crowded
round, and photographers began to get busy. The brick arch proves to be supported on either side by
stone piers, and its opening had been filled in with masonry—squared stones well mortared in—
except for 8 in. at the bottom, where rounded stones loosely put in supported the masonry. Problem:
Why filled in ?—probably in Roman times ? (i) The filling in of hypocausts and strengthening of floors
is not uncommon (cf. cases at Silchester). (ii) Possibly the arch was beginning to give, (iii) To reduce
draught by leaving only small opening, (iv) In later times was charcoal scarce ?
A DIARY OF EXCAVATION—APRIL, 1924 18
(v) Was a new hypocaust substituted for the one which this arch seemed to serve as prafumium ? (vi)
Was this originally a crematorium, disused after Constantine I and his establishment of Christianity ?
Where and of what material were our tiles and bricks made ? Not from this gault. Perhaps from the
Lenham beds, which appear over the chalk up by the Dover Road, or nearer at hand, where till
recently was a brickworks— between this site and Folkestone.
The date or dates of these buildings ? The question begins to present itself, for already we have much
" Samian," some decorated, and apparently of first half of second century; but also a fragment or two
of rosette or daisy pattern impressed on reddish-brown ware as at Pevensey, late ware on a late site.
Measured up walls, etc., in both Blocks A and B. In B, S. side near apse, a corridor 7 ft. 3 in. wide
opens out, the thickness of its walls being 1 ft. 11 in.
I got the assistance of four boys from a local school, as orderlies, pottery washers, sifters, and general
utility men. They are very keen and intelligent.
Found a big Samian base with mark Avrro • fec. (also at Richborough). On the cliff face a room being
cleared yields much fresco-painted wall plaster—black band on creamy ground, green, blue, red, etc.
Rooms above hypo-causts are commonly so decorated. Was this a hypocaust ?
Saturday, April ig.—Started a plan, scale 1 in. = 9 ft.—not a very convenient scale, and plotted in
walls to date. In S.E. cliff room on floor found one square tile on another, both resting on stones,
surface c. 6 in. above floor of concrete. Is this a small hearth, or bottom of a pila ? On this floor a
particularly careful worker—a Scotsman—found a thin bronze British coin.
Several offers of useful help to-day: Mr. £. R. Jarrett, architect, measures up the arch; Mr. Harry
Evans of Folkestone began drawing certain features (his pictures have since appeared in " The
Sphere." " The Times," and elsewhere);
14
>MAN FOLKESTONE
and Dr. Randall Davis of Hythe, a member of the Council of the Kent Archaeological Society, had
good suggestions to offer.
The doubtful pleasures of excavating on an unfenced area near a big holiday resort have for three
days been experienced to the full. Two Corporation policemen and a stretched string did their best,
but the situation was harassing. A belated fence was up by this evening, and a gate contrived, with a
man to admit twenty visitors at a time. " For this relief, much thanks 1" Meanwhile, Mr. A. £. Nichols,
the Borough Engineer, and his staff have been very prompt in rendering every kind of assistance.
Monday, April 21 {Easter Monday).—A crowd anticipated —and realized, with bright sunny weather;
cheerful, no doubt, but very dissipating. Had I known at first the extent of this site, I could have saved
much labour by tipping the spoil at once over the cliff, instead of dumping it. My plan hitherto has been
not to go deep, but show up the tops of remaining walls all over, so as to lay bare the ground plan;
deepening, if necessary, will come later. At this stage I am not trying for floors. The public naturally
likes to walk on the walls; so I had planks arranged to take visitors over at several points.
In evenings and at odd times reading up the Forts of the Saxon Shore, so as to catch ideas that may
be applicable. Was this originally a site of about six acres, as Branodunum, Gariannonum, and
Rutupis ? Walls of some of these stations have disappeared; e.g. at Branodunum, in 1600, there were
12 ft. of wall above ground; in 1900 no wall was visible. Into what buildings has gone the stone of this
site ? What kind of troops, if any, were stationed here ? Were they Belgian Tungrians as at Dubris ?.
What was its road connexion with Dubris and Lemannis ?—for such connexion there surely must
have been.
Find of a coin, wolf suckling, identified by H. Mattingly as a Constantine I.
Visits to-day from several members of the Folkestone
A DIARY OF EXCAVATION—APRIL, 1924 15
Corporation, among them General Younghusband and Alderman R. G. Wood of the Parks
Committee, to whom I suggested the desirability of making a charge for entrance and printing a small
guide pamphlet.
Started on the drain from cliff face, and a few feet in got down to a well-built inlet from above, but for
the present abandoned further investigation because it seemed to entail the cutting away of walls.
In cliff-edge room found tiles at all four corners. Were these hearths or pike ? Probably too small for
hearths. Came to an entrance S., and, outside that, more tiles in place on floor. Plenty of charcoal and
signs of burning; possibly, then, two chambers of a hypocaust. Several pieces of " Samian " on floor.
Two nearly complete potters' marks, liciniaa • 0, and atti/, also -/o • F. Potter Licinius, probably not
later than pre-Flavian, points to early occupation.
Work outside (S.) of furnace arch; cleared its walls, and found tiles fallen, probably from a collapsed
floor above or adjoining. In Block A found part of a human jaw with three teeth.
Councillor Stainer helps to get an air photo taken from Hawkinge Aerodrome (since published in " The
Times"). Further help from Mr. Bence Jones, who volunteers evidence of the Roman occupation of
Sandgate, and from Miss Jeffery, of Broadmead, Folkestone, who showed me a gold British coin
found just below this site in 1865.
Tuesday, April 22.—Finds: another clasis'BRIT. tile stamp, a whole mortarium (in three pieces), and
three potters' marks N. of furnace arch (two conoi • M, and bortxxi • offic), three single-spring bronze
fibulae (broken), an iron stilus complete, base of square glass jar with lettering in corners, and bronze
ring of 2$ circles. Measured N. face of arch, etc.: height in centre from'tile sill to interior of crown, 2 ft.
8 in., to exterior of crown 3 ft. 7 in., length of exposed edges of bricks zi in., width of interior of arch at
sill 2 ft. 1 in. Stone piers at side: height from top of footings 2 ft. 2 in., width
16
ROMAN FOLKESTONE
i ft. 8 in., thickness i ft. n in. Stoke-hole, S. of arch: arch wall E., length 3 ft. 8 in., W., 1 ft. 5 in.; E. wall
8 ft. 10 in., W. wall 4 ft. 10 in.; back (S.) wall opposite arch 4 ft. 3 in., with gap for entrance on E. side,
2 ft. 6 in.
Wednesday, April 23.—Tested apse and found it properly bonded into wall forming chord of arc. Two
men digging in S. corridor close to (S.W.) arch, in undisturbed gault below level of footings of wall and
i£ ft. away, found four funerary urns, one broken beyond repair, the other three whole, containing
burnt bones. Contents: a bronze ring, 1 bronze brooch, x silver brooch (heavy, with ring through 4coiled spring), 1 silver bracelet (heart-shaped). All these proved to be British, and the pots of British
make, and of very poor friable material. On the hut shelves, in a day or two, in spite of support, they
began to dry and to fall to pieces. (They were ultimately restored with great patience and skill by
Captain E. Moody-Foster, Curator of the Folkestone Museum.) These " finds " remind that from about
50 B.C. to a.d. 50 the Britons were much under Roman influence, buying articles of Italian pattern
from Gaul. By this time we had arranged on the shelves of the hut an exhibit of Roman "finds," and
deposited the more valuable specimens to date in the Folkestone Museum.
Thursday, April 24.—Found a bronze hairpin and a Hadrian sestertius in good condition. Mr. Edward
Foord, of " The Sphere," came: sympathetic and understanding. The cliff-edge hypocaust (S.E.) now
completely exposed, consisting of stoke-hole (S.), entrance to which is by two chalk steps (E.),
dimensions 9 ft. 6 in. by 4 ft. 10 in. N. of this an arch, the top of which was gone, 1 ft. 6 in. wide, and 4
ft. through, flanked by big red tiles edgewise, and supported by brick and stone, 4 ft. 7 in. wide on the
E. side, 3 ft. 3 in. on the W. Three big flanged tiles form the floor of the passage. This passage leads
into a chamber where eight pillar tiles are in position, 7 ft. 10 in. by 3 ft. 10 in. Into a second chamber,
8 ft. 9 in. by 7 ft. 10 in., an entrance 2 ft. 2 in. wide. Only one or two tiles of each of the corner piles in
position. Over
A DIARY OF EXCAVATION—APRIL, 1924 17
these chambers were probably a hot room and a warm room, both of which had painted walls and
tessellated floors, both fresco and tesserae of various sizes being found on the floor. When the floor
was broken through, the capping tiles and pUce tiles were of course plundered in Saxon times, as at
Silchester passim. This is a complete little system, but a few years will carry the remains over the cliff.
The probability is that not much of this range of buildings has fallen down the slope; the bath system
is frequently at the end of such a range.
Friday, April 25.—Outside (W.) the stoke-hole of this hypocaust was a room 10 ft 4 in. by 7 ft, the W.
wall of which was represented only by a tumbled mass of tiles. Its floor was composed of 1} in. of
black soil, on 6 in. of rammed clay, itself on 6 in. of burnt clay, tile, etc. On this floor two big flat slabs
of stone and several pieces of carefully cut chalk, as for wall facing, some 2 in., some 3 in., and some
4} in. thick. A big, upright stone at the W. end of the N. wall probably served as lower part of doorpost.
No mark on it as on a centurial stone. The top surface of the walls of the apse building now
completely revealed. Not a basilica, but probably a bath building. The apse rounded off an oblong
building, from which it was divided by a partition wall. The total length 21 ft, width 11 ft. 4 in. Round
inner side of apse 17 ft. 6 in., outer side 29 ft If this was a plunge bath, it might be compared with the
Strand bath, which is 15 ft. 6 in. by 6 ft. 9 in. Thickness of walls 2 ft. 9 in. To clear out the mass of clay
and stone filling will mean much hard work. Found one complete imbrex tile, and another nearly
complete.
Saturday, April 26.—Several "finds." Part of a bronze mirror, bone hair-pin, a good piece of decorated
Samian, and an iron stilus—all in a room with two hearths in Block B. Also part of a big brown store jar
and an iron key. In the same room two potters' marks, ? catvllvs, Antonine, as at Corbridge, and
cricironis • M. A severe storm put an end to work at 2.30, and I dare say the men, who worked from 7
till 6 each day, were glad of the rest However, their times
\
18
ROMAN FOLKESTONE
are of their own choosing. They are Folkestone unemployed, and fall in with the requirements of this
job very well.
Sunday, April 27.—Read up all I could of Folkestone history, especially Saxon times of Eadbald,
Ethelbert, and Eanswythe, whose settlement was apparently near the present parish church. A suburb
(Walton) seems to have been forgotten, but the name suggests a Roman site. Was it on East Cliff ?
What the Saxons left, the sea destroyed. The Normans followed with a rustle on the Eanswythe site.
The nearest I could get to "Xoman times was the great battle between Britons and Syxons fought,
according to tradition, near Folkestone, in 456J in which the British leader Vortimer, son of Vortigern,
was killed. Before his death he desired to be buried " where the Saxons used to land." Unless this
was in the mouth of the Foord Valley, perhaps it was at the foot of the slope below our Roman site.
In the evening read F. G. Hilton Price (1879) on geology of the gault. From top to bottom the strata
are: upper chalk, lower chalk (less porous), then nearly 100 ft. of gault, the top bed of which, grey,
with a greensand seam, is 56 ft. 3 in. deep. There are ten bands of this, the lowest being very dark
clay with metallic-coloured fossils. Under this is dark greensand with iron nodules. The top bed, in
which we are digging, contains green grains of glauconite, which had often puzzled me in our
trenches. It is a ferruginous silicate of potassium, and is often 2 to 3 in. thick ; the men called it " green
pug."
Monday, April 28.—Another storm prevented men from working before 1 o'clock. Having a leisurely
morning on the site, I speculated about the possible course of the Roman road, Dover-Lympne, and
thought it likely that it descended the hill from the " Valiant Sailor " nearly on the line of the modern
Dover Road. The Jutish Cemetery found a few years back by this road would confirm this. Then
across the back of Folkestone by Cheriton and Newington, perhaps with a branch to Hythe, and so to
Lympne. But the higher Creteway line, past " Caesar's Camp," has to be considered.
A DIARY OF EXCAVATION—APRIL, 1924 19
Measured the first clasis • brit. tile, which was broken at one end. The remainder was 11} in. broad,
12J in. long by 1 Jf in. thick. The diameter of the circular stamp was 2§ in. The rooms of the S.E. block
between the corridors are 20 ft. wide, but of varying lengths; one is 20 ft. square.
To-day noted a fallacious tendency in digging. In our anxiety to find a connecting wall between Blocks
A and B the men, my helpers, and I myself had allowed tumbled stone to represent such a connexion.
The total length of it was nearly 28 ft It certainly looked much like a connexion, but the wish had been
father to the wall, and on closer examination it proved to be mortarless debris. To the last I was
reluctant to destroy it, but truth compelled.
To-day protected the top of furnace arch against weather with a cambered concrete top; in removing
the masonry filling with levers we had somewhat weakened it.
Found a good piece of decorated Samian with a hero fighting right; later another piece was found with
a similar figure fighting left, probably a piece of the same bowl (Dr. 37).
Mr. C. H. Stevens came up to report his find, a few years back, in Folkestone allotments W. of Radnor
Park, of some burial urns of the first century. These, deposited in Folkestone Museum, perhaps bear
on the line of the Roman road via Cheriton which I had sketched out. See Plate XVIII.
Found two-thirds of a bronze armlet.
Mr. Crawford Snowden of " Evening News" came for information. A pleasant talk.
Tuesday, April 2g.—Began to get site tidied with a view to closing down till summer. The hearths in
the two-hearth room (Block B) were each made of one very big tile, 2 ft. 6 in. by 2 ft., raised on stone
and concrete 7 in. above the floor. One against the wall may have had a chimney, but the centre one
had not, and its smoke probably went through an opening in the roof in Norman style.
Found a piece of late " Samian " with broad contiguous, horizontal grooves; also potter's mark
cinnamvs, which thoroughly represents Antonine occupation. Coin and pottery
20
ROMAN FOLKESTONE
distribution is now clearly from British times, through second century, to well into the fourth.
In the evening discussed geology of site with Mr. Walton, who gave me Jul^js Browne's classification
(1914) of strata of the gault as a slight improvement on Hilton Price's, but the difference is, from my
point of view, immaterial.
Wednesday, April 30.—Potter's mark martiv • F ; two halves of different quern stones; lower part of
face from a face vase (probably fourth century); piece of human skull near furnace arch. N. of, and
opposite to, arch, four piers cleared. Are they bases of columns ? They are 2 ft. 2 in. wide and z ft. 10
in. deep, back to wall behind, and built of squared stones (local green sandstone).
Major J. P. Bushe-Fox paid me a visit, and was able to resolve several of my doubts. He identified the
burial urns and contents as certainly pre-Roman, and suggested that they had been overlooked when
the Roman dug his trenches for the wall footings. The four piers would turn out to be part of support of
a floor above a hypocaust. The narrow room in A first opened was probably a staircase room. He
assigned to first century some pieces of black and grey ware.
To date, I was inclined to infer an Antonine villa or two villas, perhaps refurbished at end of third or
beginning of fourth century. A southern wing and a corridor had been found in A; it remained to find
the rest of corridor and rooms off it, and a corresponding N. wing, and to go deeper with all floors.
Thursday, May 1 (last day of season).—Finds: piece of bronze chain, Constantine I coin of London
mint, a flake of tile
bearing letters (B R|(a new form of stamp on this site).
Twelve piers of the new hypocaust were now exposed, along the four sides of a chamber 20 ft.
square. In rooms of S. wing of A found a low wall of peculiar construction. It set a problem which
puzzled me till the last days of the August
A DIARY OF EXCAVATION—APRIL, 1924 21
digging. We found it in deepening the floors. It was about z ft. high, and seemed to have no purpose,
running parallel to and about 2 ft. S. of the N. walls of three rooms. As we found it there was a course
of half imbrex tiles on top at either face. I cut it through in the middle and found it composed of a
peculiar porous material, which rested on big flints somewhat loosely laid. The flints were covered
with a sort of lime. Was this a sort of filtering watercourse, or a soak drain ? If so, why was it laid
through three rooms ? And why did it come to a sudden end ? This gave me something to think about
in the interval between now and July 29; when I hoped to return to continue or complete the
excavation of the site.
It remained to get out an interim guide, well illustrated, for the use of visitors, to arrange for adequate
protection of the site during the next three months, and to thank all my numerous helpers. Though it
was a trial to leave the work in middle course, the heavy pressure had been tiring, and I was
beginning to feel stale. Time for reflection would be of great benefit.
CHAPTE^r>»=
A DIARY OF EXCAVATION—AUGUST, 1924
I
HAD left two mountainous dumps of spoil on the site. While this ^os being harrowed over the cliff in
May a coin of Constantino II was found, Gloria Exercitus, of the Lyons mint.
In the interval I had tried to learn what is known about the British fleet of Roman times, Haverfield
being the main authority, and had also read through again Silchester reports and others, so that I
might be fully alert for as many happenings as possible. I had also definitely made up my mind as to
what I specially wanted to investigate; some of this programme I carried out, some of it was forbidden
by circumstances.
Quite a number of applications reached me from persons anxious to help, either for or without
remuneration. It was necessary to respect the Corporation's heavy expenses account, so I accepted
only voluntary help. If I could have got him, I would have had at least one man with experience of
Romano-British sites. Failing this, I invited to join me my daughter, who had helped me for parts of
four seasons of digging; Miss Sibyl Thomas of Dover, who had taken a two years' course in
archaeology; Mr. Shaw Mellor of Box, near Bath, who had helped at Easter; Mr. B. W. Pearce, a
colleague who had had no experience of excavation, but whose qualities I well knew; Mr. F. G.
Clarke, a Cambridge undergraduate; and Mr. G. O. Whitehead. All these turned up trumps—keen,
methodical, and industrious. Two, indeed, proved to have a perfect flair for the work. All four of my
boys returned, and I added a fifth.
22