Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

The remains of a medieval salt mound located on Chislet Marshes. The site was formerly part of the old Wantsum Channel which divided Thanet from the mainland. One of 50 large saltworking mounds located in this area. They resemble medieval salt-working mounds at Seasalter (see TR 06 SE 6), and the Isles of Sheppey and Harty. Most of the mounds are plough damaged but some well surviving examples remain. 13th and 14th century pottery sherds have been found on some of these mounds. Burnt earth and oyster shells have been found at all of them. The mounds were formed from waste sludge collected during spring tides: brine was extracted from this sludge and then evaporated to produce salt. The Chislet salt works are mentioned in the Domesday book.

Monument Types

• SALT WORKS (Medieval - 1066 AD (at some time) to 1539 AD (at some time))

Full description

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On the Chislet Marshes, part of the old Wantsum Channel which formerly divided Thanet from the mainland, are some 50 large mounds (area centred TR 239666) resembling the Md salt-working mounds of Seasalter (TR 06 SE 6) and the Isles of Sheppey and Harty. Although the majority have been reduced by the plough many still rise to over 3.0m in height and in some instances to over 350m in length; with a few exceptions they are situated in the middle of the channel which must have reached an advanced state of silting when they were formed. Burnt earth and oyster shells occur on all the mounds and 13th/14th c pottery fragments (identified by S E Rigold) were found on some of them. The process used was to wash brine from sludge collected from areas flooded during the spring tides and then to obtain the salt through evaporation by boiling. The waste sludge was dumped and in time formed large and conspicuous mounds (a). In Domesday the Archbishop of St Augustines, Canterbury is recorded as having 47 salt-pans yielding 50 loads of salt at Chislet; (b) also listed are five saltpans at Reculver, one at Monkton and two at Wickhambreux (c). Fifteen Saltcotes are mentioned amongst the tithes of the vicar of Chislet in 1345 (d). Published 25" survey revised. (For the 30 other salt-mounds in the Wantsum Channel see TR 26 SE 2 - 5, TR 26 SW 24, 25, TR 26 NW 30,31). Note: Within recent weeks a start has been made on the complete razing of the mounds near to the Thanet Way - area centred TR 233675. (1) [Group of saltworks in this area are numbered separately, see TR 26 NW 29, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55]. Additional references (2-7) and site photographs (8-13).

<1> Md Arch 5 1961 346-8 (M W Thompson) (OS Card Reference). SKE46641.

<2> VCH Kent 3 1932 243-4 (OS Card Reference). SKE51120.

<3> VCH Kent 3 1932 211 216-7 232-3 (OS Card Reference). SKE51118.

<4> W Thorne Chronicles of St Augustines Canterbury 1934 554 (A H Davis) (OS Card Reference). SKE51254.

<5> F1 CFW 04.11.63 (OS Card Reference). SKE42416.

<6> Field report for monument TR 26 NW 37 - November, 1963 (Bibliographic reference). SKE5872.

<7> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, Canterbury Sites and Monuments Record, 48 (Index). SWX11836.

<8> 1946, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX9463.

<9> 1946, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX9464.

<10> 1946, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX9676.

<11> 1932, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11693.

<12> 1932, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11694.

<13> 1946, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX9459.

Sources and further reading