Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

In Milbay's Wood, Nettlestead there are possibly Early Iron Age earthworks and an Early Iron Age hill top camp. The entrenchments vary in both width of base and character and do not form a complete enclosure. An early stronghold defended by such an irregular entrenchment would have been large and unusual. The northern section consists of boundary banks, hollow ways and traffic ruts. The southern section is a separate feature and not defensive in character or position. It is probably a pond bay. Various tracks and banks suggest it was also used as causeway across the marshy ground in the wood. Many roads have crossed the area and a mill is believed to have been sited here. The name Milbay's Wood supports this. See also TQ 65 SE 13 - a former moated house which had ponds and mills associated with it.

Monument Types

• POND BAY (Medieval to Post Medieval - 1066 AD? to 1900 AD?)

Full description

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[Centred at TQ 6723 5072] Camp [NR] (1) Possible Early Iron Age earthworks. (2) Iron Age hill-top camp ... (3) Nettlestead: Milbay's Wood. The entrenchments vary both in width of base and character without any apparent object, and do not form a complete enclosure. If ever the entrenchments did continue to enclose a space, the enclosure would have been large but "an early stronghold defended by such irregular entrenchments would be very unusual. They stand in a very marshy wood." (4) The northern section of this "earthwork", TQ 6703 5093 to TQ 6722 5073, consists of boundary banks, hollow-ways and lesser traffic-ruts.It is not an antiquity. The southern section, TQ 6722 5073 to TQ 6732 5072, is a separate feature and not defensive either in character or position. It consists of a central bank some 5.0 metres to 6.0 metres high at its highest part and about 20.0 metres wide, with flanking ditches about 12.0 metres wide and at present between 1.0 metres to 2.0 metres deep.It runs in an angled course from high ground to high ground and adequately fulfils the purpose of a pond bay. The flanking ditches are an uncommon feature but are undoubtedly incidental to the construction of the bank. Various tracks and banks, of a similar nature to the northern section,converge on its eastern extremity, and it is likely that it was in useas a causeway across the marshy ground at some time. Various roads have crossed the area and a mill is said to have stood hereabouts. This latter fact coupled with the name of the wood - Milbay's - leave no doubt as the true nature of the work. An Antiquity Model survey has been made. (5) Checked and correct: published 25" survey correct. (6) Scheduled number Kent 114. (7) Additional bibliography. (8-9)

From the Register of Scheduled Monuments:
An earthwork promontory camp, probably early Iron Age. Rampart with internal and external ditch. A low bank may be traced in construction of the earthworks, marked on the OS map further round to the NW. As the ditch appears to be on the inside, it suggests that this exterior, which has been omitted from the scheduled area may belong to a later park enclosure utilising the old earthworks. Stretch of monument one encounters on leaving track in unimpressive consisting of double line of banks and ditches with forestry track in centre for ½ mile. Earthwork suddenly increases in height and width to some 25’ x 10’ (12)

From the NHLE:

Summary of Monument

Curvilinear earthworks in Milbay’s Wood, 590m ESE of Woodgate Cottages
Reasons for Designation

The curvilinear earthworks in Milbay’s Wood, 590m ESE of Woodgate Cottages survive well. They have been relatively undisturbed and are located in an area with little modern development. As such they hold potential for further archaeological investigation. They will contain archaeological and environmental information relating to their construction and function, as well as to the landscape in which they were constructed. Despite the uncertainty concerning their identification it is clear that the earthworks are unusual in form and must be considered of archaeological interest in a national context
History

See Details
Details

This record has been generated from an "old county number" (OCN) scheduling record. These are monuments that were not reviewed under the Monuments Protection Programme and are some of our oldest designation records.

The monument includes curvilinear earthworks situated on low-lying, gently sloping ground west of Nettlestead Green. To the south is a substantial bank, up to 6m high and about 20m wide, with flanking ditches about 12m wide and between 1m to 2m deep. It is over 200m long. From its eastern end it runs north-east to south-west before curving in a westerly direction for some 100m then turns north-west for the remainder of its course. The flanking ditches may be quarry ditches associated with the construction of the bank. At the north-west end is another, slighter, bank marking a continuation of the earthwork towards the north-west for some 230m before curving to the north for at least a further 100m. It too is flanked by ditches. Another bank runs near parallel with it immediately to the west.

The original function of the earthworks in Milbay’s Wood is uncertain. In the early 20th century it was suggested to be part of an Iron Age hillfort or promontory camp. The bank and ditches to the south are more likely to be remains of a medieval or post-medieval pond bay associated with a mill. They run a course from high ground to high ground cutting off an area of land to the north and would adequately fulfil such a purpose. A short distance to the north in Moat Wood there is the recorded site of a moated manor, apparently belonging to Tonbridge Priory prior to the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th century. A mill and pond may have been associated with the manor and utilised as part of this estate. The earthworks to the north-west are not necessarily associated with that to the south. The banking has the appearance of a ha-ha perhaps associated with past management of this area of the landscape. The earthworks are recorded on Ordnance Survey maps (1:2500) of 1885, 1897 and 1908.(13)

archive material at HE: OS59/F310/6 POND BAY EARTHWORK, NETTLESTEAD

POND BAY EARTHWORK, NETTLESTEAD. (Photograph). SKE1443.

POND BAY EARTHWORK, NETTLESTEAD. (Photograph). SKE1443.

<1> OS 6" 1907-38 (OS Card Reference). SKE48320.

<2> Museum (Arch) 6" Maidstone Mus (Anon undated) (OS Card Reference). SKE47487.

<3> The Arch of Kent 1930 159 260 (RF Jessup) (OS Card Reference). SKE50070.

<4> VCH Kent 1 1908 399-400 (OS Card Reference). SKE50882.

<5> F1 CFW 27-JAN-59 (OS Card Reference). SKE42781.

<6> F2 CFW 13-FEB-64 (OS Card Reference). SKE43232.

<7> DOE (IAM) Record Form 3.11.1986 (OS Card Reference). SKE40749.

<8> Arch Cant 74 1960 196-7 (LRA Grove) (OS Card Reference). SKE35563.

<9> BOE West Kent & The Weald 1980 428 (J Newman) (OS Card Reference). SKE38276.

<10> Field report for monument TQ 65 SE 14 - January, 1959 (Bibliographic reference). SKE3421.

<11> Field report for monument TQ 65 SE 14 - February, 1964 (Bibliographic reference). SKE3422.

<12> English Heritage, Register of Scheduled Monuments (Scheduling record). SKE16191.

<13> Historic England, National Heritage List for England (Index). SKE29372.

Sources and further reading