Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

During the Mesolithic period the lake seems to have been the focus of a flint working industry. No features are recorded as being found, but a large quantity of struck flint was recorded including twenty-five trenchet axes.

In 2003 a large scale evaluation, as part of proposed improvements to the A2/A282, took place across the small lane, to the north east. A number of lithic were found reflecting a similar dated deposit sequence recorded during the earlier 1975 - 1982 excavations. It is likely that the deposit sequence recorded around NGR TQ5531272449 is a continuation of the activity site found during the eariler excavation work.

Monument Types

• LITHIC WORKING SITE (Mesolithic - 10000 BC? to 4001 BC? (at some time))

Associated Finds

• AXEHEAD (Mesolithic - 10000 BC? to 4001 BC?)
• PLANT MACRO REMAINS (Late Mesolithic - 6000 BC? to 4001 BC?)
• WATERLOGGED SAMPLE (Late Mesolithic to Late Neolithic - 6000 BC? to 2960 BC?)

Full description

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Prehistoric lake site discovered at Darenth in January 1975. The site occupies part of the flood plain and terrace of the River Darent about 4 miles from its confluence with the River Thames and 1 1/2 miles from the town centre of Dartford. On discovery a four week training excavation was undertaken in April excavating 7% of the peat deposit before the area destroyed by quarrying in November 1975. From 1975 up to 1982 work carried on in the area recovering and recording eventually finds and features dating from the mesolithic to the iron age. Animal bones included oxen, sheep, pig, roe and red deer. No further details are given. Environmental evidence recovered from the former lake included hazel nuts, elder and raspberry seeds, a cherry stone, beech nuts and pollen of bracken, lime, hazel and elder. Nine radio-carbon dates were taken from the peat giving a date range of 5160-2280 BC (corrected to 6000-2960 BC).

During the mesolithic period the lake seems to have been the focus of a flint working industry. No features are recorded as being found, but a large quantity (more than 6,000) of struck flint was recorded including twenty-five tranchet axes.(1,2)

In 2003 a large scale evaluation, as part of proposed improvements to the A2/A282, took place across the small lane, to the north east. A number of lithic were found reflecting a similar dated deposit sequence recorded during the earlier 1975 - 1982 excavations. It is likely that the deposit sequence recorded around NGR TQ5531272449 is a continuation of the activity site found during the eariler excavation work.(3)

Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 1994 Jan, A2/A282 Dartford - Historic Environmental Assessment (Unpublished document). SWX6767.

Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 1994 Jan, A2/A282 Dartford - Historic Environmental Assessment (Unpublished document). SWX6767.

Kent Archaeological Rescue Unit, 1998, Neolithic and Iron Age sites at Darenth, Kent (Bibliographic reference). SKE13568.

Kent Archaeological Rescue Unit, 1998, Neolithic and Iron Age sites at Darenth, Kent (Bibliographic reference). Ske13568.

<1> Edna Mynott, 1976, A Major Prehistoric Site Discovered at Darenth, Kent, Kent Arch Rev 65 1981 102-3 (B.Philp) (Article in serial). SKE12019.

<2> Philp, B. J., 2002, Archaeology in the Front Line: 50 Years of Kent Rescue 1952 - 2002, p120-24 (Monograph). SKE11928.

<3> Oxford Archaeology, 2003, A2/A282 Dartford Improvement Kent: Stage II Archaeological Evaluation (Unpublished document). SKE12021.

Sources and further reading