Exploring Smallhythe Place: Archaeological Investigations by the River Rother

New discoveries

The excavation of a medieval site at Smallhythe Place that was once used for shipbuilding has delighted archaeologists when they also came across earlier evidence of a Roman settlement.

As part of the discovery, finds from a Roman settlement in use between the 1st and 3rd centuries included the head of a figurine of the god Mercury, made from pipeclay, which experts believe to be “incredibly rare”.

Mercury was the god of all the fine arts as well as commerce and financial success, but while he is the most common god for metal figurines, pipeclay examples are extremely rare, with less than ten so far found from Roman Britain.

Religion was a central part of daily life in most Roman provinces, and statues as well as portable figurines of gods like the one discovered at Smallhythe were worshipped by both the Roman elite and the ordinary citizens in their homes.

Pipeclay figurines were made of clays local to central Gaul (modern-day France) and the Rhine-Moselle region and were imported, however most pipeclay figurines found in Britain are of female deities, the majority being of Venus.

This complete figurine probably would have depicted Mercury standing, either draped with a chlamys (a short cloak), or naked, holding a caduceus (a staff with two intertwined snakes).

Funding for the excavations at Smallhythe Place was generously provided by the National Trust’s Roman Research Fund, the Robert Kiln Fund, the Society of Antiquaries, the Royal Archaeological Institute and the William and Edith Oldham Charitable Trust.

The Mercury head along with other finds from the excavation will go on show from 28 February at Smallhythe Place.

Geophysics, boreholes and trenches

To support our investigations, we received grants from the National Trust’s Inclusive Archaeology, Robert Kiln and the Roman Research Funds and from the Royal Archaeological Institute. During 2023, our project has received funding from the Society of Antiquaries and the William and Edith Oldham Charitable Trust.

A team of over sixty National Trust volunteers (which includes members of the Hastings Area Archaeological Research Group, independent specialists and professional archaeologists, students from York, Cardiff, Birkbeck, Kent and Leicester Universities) have participated on site over the first two years of the project.

Geophysical surveys by HAARG helped us to locate trenches and altogether, we have dug nine trenches in the Elfwick Field, five in the Forstal Field and two in the garden, plus a series of boreholes across the site targeted to investigate the medieval shoreline.

Marmalade jars and medieval roves

Thousands of artefacts have been recovered which kept our team of finds processors and pot washers very busy indeed. From the trenches nearest to Smallhythe Place itself came evidence for the development and use of the site when it was a Georgian farm and later during Ellen Terry’s lifetime - such as a midden dump in the Forstal Field where we found marmalade jars, gin, beer and medicine bottles.

Perhaps the most intriguing find from this later period was a seal with a cameo, dating c 1825.

In the Elfwick Field we relocated the brick kiln discovered in the 1990s, and with further excavation were able to define more of its extent, its floor lining, and likely an earlier kiln underneath. Landscape survey has helped us to understand more about the earthworks which represent the medieval shipyard.

Masonry building foundations, pottery sherds, animal bones and metal artefacts from the trenches further uphill have given us an insight into medieval and post-medieval life alongside Smallhythe Road.