Monument record 0014100000 - DUKE'S WOOD, FULMER

ROMANO-BRITISH KILN OF SIMILAR DATE AND PRODUCTS AS HEDGERLEY KILNS (CASS 1523). PROBABLY OPERATING FOR A SHORT PERIOD AROUND FIRST HALF C2 AD. DESTROYED BY M40 CONSTRUCTION MAY 1972. (KILN PRODUCTS: 00:001)(B1-7)


A Romano-British pottery kiln found below the crest of the hill on the SSW side of Dukes Wood and'quite near a new house called Dukes Kiln'. The site is on allotments owned by Mr J G Hetherington who has also made a survey. Superficial excavation (by Rouse? ) revealed a great quantity of pottery, from six inches to a foot down, seemingly contemporary with that produced by the Hedgerley kilns (SU 98 NE 1).

A few yards to the south a quantity of pottery may indicate another kiln or a filled up rubbish pit.

Dukes Kiln preserves the name of a brick kiln established by the Duke of Portland about a century ago (B1).

Mr Hetherington pointed out the exact site on the map at SU 9918 8672. (B8a). The area is now covered by rough pasture and there are no surface
indications of the kiln site. (B8)

RB sherds found at SU 99388658 (B) probably from the Kiln site are now in Bucks Co Museum. (Acc No 315.45) (B9).

(SU 992867) (B5) In 1967, Bucks Co Museum excavated a Romano-British Kiln at Fulmer. A chance find during the war had shown the existence of a Kiln under the front lawn of a house. As the adjacent area was to be used for the M4 motorway a proton-magnetometer survey was carried out which located the Kiln with an associated pit. The Kiln was in operation during the 2nd c AD and produced bowls and jars; the quantity of material found was unfortunately small.(B10) Finds are now in Bucks Co Museum. (Acc No 200.67) (B5).

It would appear from the vague site plan that the 1967 excavated Kiln was that located by Auth 2 at SU 9918 8672.
Mr M E Farley (B9) re-located the Kiln during an M40 rescue excavation in May 1972, and the flue trench of a probable second Kiln was found at SU 9916 8670 (B6). Finds in Bucks Co Museum, Acc Nos 452.72. The circumstances of the sherd finds in area SU 9938 8658 (Auth 3) is not known. Surveyed at 1:1250. (B11)

NRHE Insert 1997 (B12).