Oxted and District History Society
Tuesday 13th November 2007.

New Anglo-Saxon Discoveries at
St. Martin-in-the-Fields

Alison Telfer, an archaeologist with the Museum of London, gave an illustrated lecture to the Oxted & District History Society on
' New Anglo-Saxon Discoveries at
St. Martin-in-the-Fields '.

The excavations at St. Martin-in-the-Fields have been taking place because of the £36M redevelopment of the Church and associated facilities such as the homeless drop-in and day centre and the community centre for the local Chinese community. The demolition of the Victorian underground vaults surrounding the church has led to several discoveries. In a Saxon rubbish pit were cut antlers and weaving artefacts. Underneath 23 medieval skeletons was a 7^th Century high status Saxon burial with copper discs and bird-shaped escutcheons from a hanging basket and nearby was a gold pendant and other jewellery items.

A rare late Roman sarcophagus from 410 AD was discovered this August, made of 1 ½ tons of limestone transported from Oxfordshire or Northamptonshire. A rare late Roman double-flued commercial tile-kiln was found elsewhere on the site. Graffiti on one tile are currently being examined by experts. It has not yet been established why this site was so important in late Roman and Anglo-Saxon times, as it is situated 2 kilometres from Roman London.

Lecture given by Alison Telfer at
Oxted United Reformed Church,
Bluehouse Lane, Oxted