Wingham Village: History

 

village of the dwellers at the heathen temple

The Archaeology of Wingham

 

Reports on excavations carried out in the area can be found in volumes of the Archceologia CantianaThe most famous were carried out in the field known as The Vineyard where a fine example of a Roman Villa was unearthed by George Dowker on July 22, 1881. The building was re-excavated by Frank Jenkins, M.A., Ph.D., F.S.A. in 1966.

Artifacts dating from 2400BC (Neolithic) through to 18/1900AD were found in a Drainage Trench dug in 1955 

Dowker (Arch. Cant., xiv -1882) mentions other finds  including 

"... a roadway of faggots, leading across the Marsh to Little Briton, and constituting part of the road from Richborough to Canterbury" discovered by Mr. J. B. Sheppard.
A "Saxon burial-place" beside the Wingham to Staple road at Witherden Hall which was opened by  Lord Londesborough and Mr. Ackerman.
A "Roman burial-place" discovered at Dearson by Dowker himself and described in Archceologia Cantiana xii
"...a chest or coffin of large thick stones joined together, and covered with one on the top." (Hasted, History of Kent, vol iii., p. 700) This was struck by a plough in the Vineyard in 1710 and contained some black ashes.