Romano-British workshops for iron smelting and smithing at Westhawk Farm, Kent
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Published
Nov 12, 2021
Abstract
Large quantities of ironworking waste were recovered from a Romano-British settlement at Westhawk Farm (NGR TR998397), near Ashford, in the Weald. The waste was concentrated around the archaeological remains of two workshops, one pre-dating the other. Both smelting and smithing took place in the workshops, and several furnaces, a possible hearth and a working floor rich in hammerscale survived. The raw materials used in the production of iron at the site have been identified and the formation processes for different types of slag have been investigated through analysis of the waste. The scale of the iron industry at Westhawk has been estimated and is discussed in the context of Wealden iron production in the Roman period.
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References
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Booth P 1999, Westhawk Farm, Kingsworth, Ashford, Kent: Archaeological post-excavation assessment report. Oxford Archaeological Unit unpublished report.
Booth P, Bingham A and Lawrence S forthcoming, The Roman roadside settlement at Westhawk Farm, Ashford, Kent: excavations 1998-1999 (Oxford: Oxford Archaeology Monograph).
Brill R H 1999, Chemical analyses of early glasses. Volume 2. Tables of analyses (New York).
Buchwald V F and Wivel H 1998, ‘Slag analysis as a method for characterization and provenancing of ancient iron objects’, Materials Characterization 40, 73–96.
Challinor D 1999, ‘Charcoal’ in P Booth, Westhawk Farm, Kingsworth, Ashford, Kent: Archaeological post-excavation assessment report. Oxford Archaeological Unit unpublished report, 70–72.
Childs S T and Killick D 1993, ‘Indigenous African metallurgy: nature and culture’, Annual Review of Anthropology 22, 317–37.
Cleere H 1972, ‘The classification of early iron-smelting furnaces’, Antiquaries Journal 52, 8–23.
Cleere H and Crossley D 1985, The Iron Industry of the Weald (Leicester).
Crew P 1991, ‘The experimental production of prehistoric bar iron’, Historical Metallurgy 25(1), 21–36.
Crew P 1998, ‘Laxton revisited: a fi rst report on the 1998 excavations’, Historical Metallurgy 32(2), 49–53.
Dungworth D 2001, Metal working debris from Elms Farm, Heybridge, Essex (Portsmouth: Centre for Archaeology Report 69/2001).
Fulford M G and Allen J R L 1992, ‘Iron-making at the Chesters Villa, Woolaston, Gloucestershire: Survey and Excavation, 1987–91’, Britannia 23, 159–216.
Hedges R E M and Salter C J 1979, ‘Source determination of iron currency bars’, Archaeometry 21(2), 161–75.
Hodgkinson J S 1999, ‘Romano-British iron production in the Sussex and Kent Weald; A review of current data’, Historical Metallurgy 33(2), 68–72.
Høst-Madsen L and Bouchwald V F 1999, ‘The characterization and provenancing of ore, slag and iron from the Iron Age settlement at Snorup’, Historical Metallurgy 33(2), 57–67.
McDonnell J G 1991, ‘A model for the formation of smithing slags’, Materiały Archeologiczne 26, 23–28.
Mills A and McDonnell J G 1992, The identification and analysis of the hammerscale from Burton Dasset, Warwickshire (London: Ancient Monuments Laboratory Report 47/1992).
Paynter S 2002, The metalworking remains from Westhawk Farm near Ashford, Kent (Portsmouth: Centre for Archaeology Report 84/2002).
Paynter S 2006, ‘Regional variations in bloomery smelting slag of the Iron Age and Romano-British periods’, Archaeometry 48(2), 271–292.
Philp B 1994, The Iron Age and Romano-British site at Lenham, Kent (Dover: Kent Special Subject Series 7).
Pleiner R 2000, Iron in archaeology: the European bloomery smelters (Prague).
Salter C 1997, ‘Metallurgical debris’, in P Booth, Asthall, Oxfordshire: Excavations in a Roman ‘small town’ (Oxford: Thames Valley Landscapes Monograph 9), 89–98.
Schmidt P R (ed) 1996, The culture and technology of African iron production (Gainesville, Florida).
Schwab R, Heger D, Höppner B and Pernicka E 2006, ‘The provenance of iron artefacts from Manching: a multi-technique approach’ Archaeometry 48(3), 433–452.
Scott I 1999, ‘Ironwork’ in P Booth, Westhawk Farm, Kingsworth, Ashford, Kent: Archaeological post-excavation assessment report. Oxford Archaeological Unit unpublished report, 24–31.
Starley D 2002, ‘Metallurgical study of an iron beam from Catterick bypass (site 433)’, in P R Wilson (ed), Roman Catterick and its hinterland. Excavations and research, 1958–1997. Part II (York: CBA Research Report 129), 166–172.
Thomas G R and Young T P, 1999, ‘The determination of bloomery furnace mass balance and efficiency’, in A M Pollard (ed), Geoarchaeology: exploration, environments, resources (London: Geological Society Special Publication 165), 155–164.
Tylecote R F 1990, The prehistory of metallurgy in the British Isles (London).
Vernon R W 1999, Report on a fl uxgate gradiometer survey on a Romano-British settlement at Westhawk Farm, Ashford, Kent. (Bradford University project on the investigation of iron-working sites by geophysical survey, Report 12).
Worssam B and Gibson-Hill J 1976, ‘Analyses of Wealden iron ores’, Historical Metallurgy 10(2), 77–82.
Booth P 1999, Westhawk Farm, Kingsworth, Ashford, Kent: Archaeological post-excavation assessment report. Oxford Archaeological Unit unpublished report.
Booth P, Bingham A and Lawrence S forthcoming, The Roman roadside settlement at Westhawk Farm, Ashford, Kent: excavations 1998-1999 (Oxford: Oxford Archaeology Monograph).
Brill R H 1999, Chemical analyses of early glasses. Volume 2. Tables of analyses (New York).
Buchwald V F and Wivel H 1998, ‘Slag analysis as a method for characterization and provenancing of ancient iron objects’, Materials Characterization 40, 73–96.
Challinor D 1999, ‘Charcoal’ in P Booth, Westhawk Farm, Kingsworth, Ashford, Kent: Archaeological post-excavation assessment report. Oxford Archaeological Unit unpublished report, 70–72.
Childs S T and Killick D 1993, ‘Indigenous African metallurgy: nature and culture’, Annual Review of Anthropology 22, 317–37.
Cleere H 1972, ‘The classification of early iron-smelting furnaces’, Antiquaries Journal 52, 8–23.
Cleere H and Crossley D 1985, The Iron Industry of the Weald (Leicester).
Crew P 1991, ‘The experimental production of prehistoric bar iron’, Historical Metallurgy 25(1), 21–36.
Crew P 1998, ‘Laxton revisited: a fi rst report on the 1998 excavations’, Historical Metallurgy 32(2), 49–53.
Dungworth D 2001, Metal working debris from Elms Farm, Heybridge, Essex (Portsmouth: Centre for Archaeology Report 69/2001).
Fulford M G and Allen J R L 1992, ‘Iron-making at the Chesters Villa, Woolaston, Gloucestershire: Survey and Excavation, 1987–91’, Britannia 23, 159–216.
Hedges R E M and Salter C J 1979, ‘Source determination of iron currency bars’, Archaeometry 21(2), 161–75.
Hodgkinson J S 1999, ‘Romano-British iron production in the Sussex and Kent Weald; A review of current data’, Historical Metallurgy 33(2), 68–72.
Høst-Madsen L and Bouchwald V F 1999, ‘The characterization and provenancing of ore, slag and iron from the Iron Age settlement at Snorup’, Historical Metallurgy 33(2), 57–67.
McDonnell J G 1991, ‘A model for the formation of smithing slags’, Materiały Archeologiczne 26, 23–28.
Mills A and McDonnell J G 1992, The identification and analysis of the hammerscale from Burton Dasset, Warwickshire (London: Ancient Monuments Laboratory Report 47/1992).
Paynter S 2002, The metalworking remains from Westhawk Farm near Ashford, Kent (Portsmouth: Centre for Archaeology Report 84/2002).
Paynter S 2006, ‘Regional variations in bloomery smelting slag of the Iron Age and Romano-British periods’, Archaeometry 48(2), 271–292.
Philp B 1994, The Iron Age and Romano-British site at Lenham, Kent (Dover: Kent Special Subject Series 7).
Pleiner R 2000, Iron in archaeology: the European bloomery smelters (Prague).
Salter C 1997, ‘Metallurgical debris’, in P Booth, Asthall, Oxfordshire: Excavations in a Roman ‘small town’ (Oxford: Thames Valley Landscapes Monograph 9), 89–98.
Schmidt P R (ed) 1996, The culture and technology of African iron production (Gainesville, Florida).
Schwab R, Heger D, Höppner B and Pernicka E 2006, ‘The provenance of iron artefacts from Manching: a multi-technique approach’ Archaeometry 48(3), 433–452.
Scott I 1999, ‘Ironwork’ in P Booth, Westhawk Farm, Kingsworth, Ashford, Kent: Archaeological post-excavation assessment report. Oxford Archaeological Unit unpublished report, 24–31.
Starley D 2002, ‘Metallurgical study of an iron beam from Catterick bypass (site 433)’, in P R Wilson (ed), Roman Catterick and its hinterland. Excavations and research, 1958–1997. Part II (York: CBA Research Report 129), 166–172.
Thomas G R and Young T P, 1999, ‘The determination of bloomery furnace mass balance and efficiency’, in A M Pollard (ed), Geoarchaeology: exploration, environments, resources (London: Geological Society Special Publication 165), 155–164.
Tylecote R F 1990, The prehistory of metallurgy in the British Isles (London).
Vernon R W 1999, Report on a fl uxgate gradiometer survey on a Romano-British settlement at Westhawk Farm, Ashford, Kent. (Bradford University project on the investigation of iron-working sites by geophysical survey, Report 12).
Worssam B and Gibson-Hill J 1976, ‘Analyses of Wealden iron ores’, Historical Metallurgy 10(2), 77–82.
How to Cite
Romano-British workshops for iron smelting and smithing at Westhawk Farm, Kent. (2021). Historical Metallurgy, 41(1), 15-31. https://www.hmsjournal.org/index.php/home/article/view/219
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