Monument record TQ 67 NE 1015 - Extensive scatters of Roman material have been recorded across both the lower and upper foreshore east of Shornemead Fort

Extensive scatters of Roman material have been recorded across both the lower and upper foreshore at this location, forming a complex palimpsest of funerary, domestic, and industrial debris derived from long‑term erosion of deposits further inland and offshore. The lower foreshore concentrations consist primarily of mid‑first‑ to second‑century ceramics and associated artefacts, many of which are thought to represent the outwash of disturbed cremation contexts formerly located farther out in the river channel. Historic notes from the 1960s refer to Roman cremation burials situated only a few metres east of a now‑removed beacon, and progressive erosion has since shifted the active low‑tide line approximately 50 metres riverward, causing the disaggregated contents of these burials to be winnowed inshore.

The ceramic assemblage is dominated by Black‑Burnished Ware Type 2 (BB2) dishes, bowls, and jars, alongside a notable quantity of samian ware, including a piece stamped PRIMI.M from the La Graufesenque workshops of southern Gaul. Additional finewares include London Ware, represented here by a mica‑dusted spouted wine strainer—an object associated with hospitality, ritualised consumption, or official dining. The assemblage also contains various mortaria, including examples from Brockley Hill and Verulamium Region Ware (VRW), as well as flagons in North Kent White-Slipped Ware (NKWS) and Hoo Ware, a local Thameside coarseware. Artefacts connected with daily working practices, such as snapped whetstones, a plumb bob, and tools and waste linked to antler working, further diversify the material signature.

Of particular note are the scattered cremation-derived finds, including a cremated puppy jaw and a fragment of human rib cartilage, both out of primary context. These, together with the fine table assemblages and ritually suggestive objects, reinforce the interpretation of OB 01 as a funerary washout zone, receiving displaced remains and offerings from cremation deposits formerly situated inland or seaward of the present low-water line. The presence of stag antler, including a whole skull, may similarly reflect either ritual deposition or practical use in antler-working industries.

The upper foreshore assemblage, situated roughly four metres higher, dates predominantly to AD 150–200 and differs markedly from adjacent sites in lacking North Kent Shell-Tempered Ware (NKSH) and briquetage. Instead, the upper horizon exhibits traces of ground consolidation employing wattling, brushwood, and unworked stones, implying repeated human access and movement across a wet, unstable margin. Erosion occasionally exposes compacted organic surfaces, plausibly representing the edge of a Roman ground surface or occupational layer. Within the low‑water deposits, patches of cockle shells occur in shallow lenses and may indicate the remains of an eroded briquetage floor, though this remains tentative.

Although the assemblage appears only moderately reworked, virtually all primary contexts have been destroyed by successive cycles of tidal scour, ship‑wash, and bank retreat, leaving OB 01 as a secondary deposit archive rather than an in-situ archaeological horizon. Nonetheless, the surviving material continues to provide insights into the funerary practices, domestic consumption patterns, and small‑scale industrial activity of the Roman community occupying this part of the estuary.

Ongoing erosion presents the principal threat to the assemblage, continually dispersing artefacts across the foreshore. A location‑based collection strategy is therefore recommended, with all finds logged against tidal datum and positional data. Repeat surface collection following storms and during very low tidal windows is advised, alongside close monitoring of peat outcrops and compacted silts that may represent rammed surfaces or the buried remains of Roman foreshore structures exposed only during extreme scouring events.(1)

<1> Steve Trim, 2026, SHORNE/HIGHAM THAMESIDE ROMANO-BRITISH SITES 2012-2015+, OB 01 (Unpublished document). SKE58794.