Boys Hall Balancing Pond, Sevington, ARC BHB 99

Oxford Archaeological Unit (OAU) was commissioned by Union Railways (South) Limited (URS) to undertake at strip, map and sample excavation at the site of Boys Hall Balancing Pond, adjacent to Boys Hall Moat, Sevington, near Ashford, Kent (URL grid 83100 20700). This work was conducted between 26th April and 14th May 1999, as part of a programme of archaeological investigation along the line of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link. An east/west aligned ditch discovered in the south-west corner of the site contained 64 sherds of late Iron Age/ early Romano-British pottery. A gully running parallel to the south, and two shallow ditches running parallel to the north, all produced contemporary material though in smaller quantities (9 sherds, 2 sherds and 10 sherds respectively). Two shallow scoops of uncertain function were cut by these linear features but contained the same type of pottery. A small cluster of shallow, charcoal-rich pits in the south east corner of the site contained the remains of at least four in situ cremation burials within late Iron Age/ early Romano-British pots, though these were much truncated by later ploughing. In addition to the cremation urn, one of these features contained several other smashed pots apparently representing grave goods. Two large north-east/south-west aligned ditches which ran continuously through the west half of the site were cut through a buried soil horizon which overlay the Iron Age/ Romano-British features. The only finds recovered from these features consisted of a few small fragments of post-medieval tile and glass. These two ditches, and a cobbled surface which appeared to be contemporary with this later phase of activity, were almost certainly associated with the adjacent former medieval manor house or later post-medieval garden (Boys Hall Moat Scheduled Ancient Monument, Kent SAM 146). A small number of further ditches and gullies located in the northern half of the site were undated, but also appeared most likely to be medieval or post-medieval in date.