The location of the Roman settlement in the small valley between Beacon Hill and Judd's Hill was confirmed during the cutting of a gas-pipe trench to the north of the road in 1931. Roman occupation debris was found within a 200 metre stretch, including storage pits, hearths, animal bones, oyster shells, walls made of flint and of chalk blocks, also pottery dateable to the second and third centuries. Pottery remains were again dated to the second and third centuries. The recorded finds were mostly confined within a narrow stretch to either side of the Watling Street in the valley bottom, but the settlement is thought to have extended eastwards to the top of Judd's Hill where the military enclosure is suspected. The remains of a substantial Roman building, a probable Romano-British Temple was discovered in 1969 to the north-west of the Ospringe settlement about (90 m) north of the road (at TQ9961), where the remains had been incorporated within the structure of a later church. Two separate Roman burial sites (or one long cemetery) have been discovered about ¼mile and ½mile to the east of the hilltop enclosure close to the site of the local Museum. Excavations conducted during the 1920's uncovered three-hundred and eighty-seven burials, both cremations and inhumations, mainly dated to the second and third centuries although some of the inhumations were thought to date to the fourth. There are records of another substantial Roman building neighborhood nearby at Luddenham (TQ9862), a villa a little to the east at Faversham (TR0261), and an iron-mine at Brenley Corner (TR0459) a couple of miles further east along Watling Street.

The area first came under suspect in 1782 after second-century pottery and a first century brooch were discovered during ploughing. When the find-spot of the brooch was examined by the eminent historian Hasted in the same year, he recovered more second-century pottery and a coin of Vespasian and also reported a 'square' enclosure with rounded corners typical of Roman construction lying wholly on the south side of the road on Judd's Hill. These were not the remains of a mere temporary marching camp, and it is quite possible that the site represents an early (i.e. perhaps Claudian) fort. The heavy agricultural activity on the site is not all bad news, however, for a number of Roman coins, mostly dated to the Hadrianic period, were uncovered within the perimeter of the enclosure during ploughing in the 1960's. Unfortunately, these cannot be positively connected with any activity at the suspected fort.

A cohors quingenaria peditata was composed of six infantry centuriae each comprised of eighty milites totalling 480 ordinary soldiers. There were in addition around twenty officers including the military tribune in command. A cohors equitata was a mixed regiment of four infantry centuriae and four cavalry turmae (4*80 foot & 4*32 horse = 448 men), again complimented with around 20 officers. The extra space was that required for the 130+ horses.

The only classical reference for this minor settlement on Watling Street is the Antonine Itinerary of the late-second century. In the Second Itinerary of this document, entitled "the route from the Vallum [Hadriani] to the port of Rutupiae", there is a road station named Durolevum listed 13 miles from Durobrivae (Rochester, Kent) and 12 miles from Durovernum (Canterbury, Kent).

 

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