Of all the Britons the inhabitants of Kent are by far the most civilized.
Julius Caesar, De Bello Galico, 54 B.C.

The tidal marshlands near the Kentish village of Upchurch were once home to a major potting industry—not unlike Staffordshire in later times. Beginning in the mid-nineteenth century, archaeological collectors sent their servants into the mud to dig up Romano-British pottery. In the 1950s, the Noël Humes continued this archaeological pursuit. The examples shown here range from superb objects made by master potters (3) to the rejected work of apprentices (5). Along with huge quantities of broken and kiln-spoiled local pottery, the marshes yielded several imports from Europe such as a white ware pitcher (9) and an incense-burner (10).