ROMAN VILLA UNEARTHED

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 76, Issue 303, 23 December 1933, Page 10

ROMAN VILLA UNEARTHED

BOY’S FIND IN KENT. ARCHAEOLOGIST AT FIFTEEN. ' Archaeologist at 15! That’s Paul ’ Ashbee, who has gained himself fre-sh L laurels by discovering a Roman villa » upon a farm at Thurnham, Kent. Excavation work has begun on his fine* • Ever since he reached a two-figure age > Paul has been “mad” on archaeology. People in Bearsted, where Paul lives, became used to seeing him exploring > ground in the district and digging energetically away. They smiled a little at his “youthful folly.” But Paul has earned their respect and admiration now. Paul happened to notice some rabbit burro wp as he was walking across the farm, and pieces of red earthenware thrown out by the rabbits. His enthusiasm was aroused. “Roman • tiles,” he said. “That’s right, they are,” said Mr. Norman Cook, curator at Maidstone Museum, to whom Paul conveyed his finds. Wild with excitement, Paul went to Mr. Charles Brown, who rents the land, and asked permission to dig. Mr. Brown could not refuse the excited boy’s request. So, armed with borrowed implements, he returned to the scene. ( For days a solitary figure was to be seen digging at top speed. The boy went home each evening utterly tired 1 out and complaining of pains in the e back. But he continued to dig, and his e persistence was rewarded. Paul unearthed pottery, quantities of ri decorated wall plaster, fragments of f ] glass—later identified ns being about y. the A.D. 100 to 120 period—and coins. One of these was a Constantius coin of e the third century, but others were unidentifiable. e Then Paul hit something hard. It 0 was a pebbled pavement. He took all his evidence to the museum, where 1 everyone was nearly as excited as the lad himself. “A Roman villa!” exclaimed Paul and Mr. Cook together. They rushed e over to Thurnham, and there they could be seen getting on with the excavation work. The Kent Archaeological Society members are going to become navvies,” and all the manual labour a will be done by amateurs. Walls and ie mortar lined drains have been un■y earthed. “S A Sunday Express representative had a talk with Mrs. Ashbee. Paul’s k, mother. “Paul has never thought oi F- anything else.” she said. “He is crazy EU about archaeology. When he was four id teen he went down to St. Augustine’! Museum. Canterbury, and helped then id in get exhibits ready to be sent to th< L*itish Museum.