Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Cropmarks of ring ditches identified from aerial photographs. Possibly the site of Bronze Age barrows?

Monument Types

• LINEAR FEATURE (Bronze Age - 2350 BC? to 701 BC)
• PIT (Bronze Age - 2350 BC? to 701 BC)
• RECTANGULAR ENCLOSURE (Bronze Age - 2350 BC? to 701 BC)
• RING DITCH (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)

Full description

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[Area TR 288686] Crop marks of seven possible more, ring-ditches (?sites of round barrows). (1) The field is under pasture and nothing was seen. (2) TR 28756865. Cropmarks showing ten ring ditches, small to very large,two of the largest being double ditched. Very large rectilinear enclosure, and other small rectilinear features, scattered pits etc. (3,4,5) At TR 28856870, overlying the archaeological complex, cropmarks indicate the site of world war II slit trenches. (6) Thanet cropmark plot shows 6 additional single-ditched, ring ditches above the enclosure. Linear feature also visible at the top of the area, leading to TR 26 NE 70.(11)

From the Register of Scheduled Monuments:

Seven circular ditched monuments are obvious in the photograph and four other possible examples are arrowed. Two of the enclosures are unusual in that they are linked by 2 parallel ditches and another has a concentric internal ditch. The zig zag very sharp markings are military exercise trenching - presumably of this [20th] century. The other principle marking on photograph is presumably ditched road of uncertain date (Medieval?).(12)


From the National Heritage List for England:

Summary of Monument

Ring ditches, linear ditches and pits 387m north-west of The Red House
Reasons for Designation

Round barrow cemeteries date to the Bronze Age (c.2000-700 BC). They comprise closely-spaced groups of up to 30 round barrows - rubble or earthen mounds covering single or multiple burials. Most cemeteries developed over a considerable period of time, often many centuries, and in some cases acted as a focus for burials as late as the early medieval period. They exhibit considerable diversity of burial rite, plan and form, frequently including several different types of round barrow, occasionally associated with earlier long barrows. Where large scale investigation has been undertaken around them, contemporary or later "flat" burials between the barrow mounds have often been revealed. Round barrow cemeteries occur across most of lowland Britain, with a marked concentration in Wessex. In some cases, they are clustered around other important contemporary monuments such as henges. Often occupying prominent locations, they are a major historic element in the modern landscape, whilst their diversity and their longevity as a monument type provide important information on the variety of beliefs and social organisation amongst early prehistoric communities.

The ring ditches, linear ditches and pits 387m north-west of The Red House have not been excavated and will retain potential for further archaeological investigation, which will provide information regarding the exact nature of the archaeological remains. The site will contain significant archaeological and environmental information relating to the prehistoric occupation and management of the landscape in this part of Kent.

The linear ditches include Second World War slit trenches from a military exercise. The other linear features and pits are thought to be associated with prehistoric or Roman occupation.
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 ring ditches, linear ditches and pits surviving as buried remains recorded as crop marks on aerial photographs. It is situated on a low-lying south-west facing slope north of Brooksend Stream near Birchington.

There are at least nine ring ditches, varying from 11m to 28m in diameter. At least one of these is a double ring ditch. The ring ditches are considered to be the buried remains of a Bronze Age barrow cemetery. The ditches are quarry ditches, from which material to construct the barrow mounds was originally derived. Two of the ring ditches are unusual in that they are linked by linear features or ditches. To the west side of the constraint area are several Second World War slit trenches from a military exercise, forming sharp zig-zag patterns running broadly north-east to south-west. There are also several other linear features or ditches, including part of a large rectilinear enclosure to the west and part of a possible trackway to the north. The buried remains of pits are evident as crop marks scattered across the site. These may be associated with prehistoric or Roman occupation.

The site was recorded as part of the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England (RCHME) Kent Mapping Project carried out in 1986-7. This produced 1:10,000 scale depictions of crop marks identified on oblique and vertical aerial photographs taken across Kent.

Further archaeological remains, such as ring ditches and rectilinear enclosures, survive in the vicinity of this site but are not included because they have not been formally assessed (13)

Photographs (14-75)

<1> St Joseph's APs W.T. 66 and A.D.I. 52; 14 6 61 (OS Card Reference). SKE49630.

<2> F1 ASP 19.02.65 (OS Card Reference). SKE42173.

<3> AP (CUC BTG 42-45; 26 6 75) (OS Card Reference). SKE33439.

<4> AP (CUC ADB 23-24; 26 5 61) (OS Card Reference). SKE33340.

<5> AP (NMR TR 2868/3-7; 16 7 79) (OS Card Reference). SKE33669.

<6> AP (NMR TR 2868/3,4,5,7; 16 7 79) (OS Card Reference). SKE33668.

<7> Isle of Thanet Arch Unit SMA 1988 67 photos (OS Card Reference). SKE44731.

<8> DOE (IAM) Am Eng 1988 Kent 23 (OS Card Reference). SKE40676.

<9> Isle of Thanet Arch Unit SMA 1988 300/7 (OS Card Reference). SKE44729.

<10> Field report for monument TR 26 NE 24 - February, 1965 (Bibliographic reference). SKE5823.

<11> Not applicable, SMR Kent uncatalogued index entry, RCHME Kent pilot mapping programme plot. (Miscellaneous Material). SKE6440.

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

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

<14> 1982, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11762.

<15> 1988, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11712.

<16> 1979, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11722.

<17> 1982, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11736.

<18> 1979, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11711.

<19> 1989, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11721.

<20> 1982, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11735.

<21> 1979, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11711.

<22> 1982, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11729.

<23> 1989, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11718.

<24> 1988, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11715.

<25> 1982, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11728.

<26> 1989, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11752.

<27> 1973, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX10589.

<28> 1975, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX10610.

<29> 1988, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11714.

<30> 1988, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11716.

<31> 1956, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX10712.

<32> 1982, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11727.

<33> 1988, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11748.

<34> 1988, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11713.

<35> 1982, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11726.

<36> 1988, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11747.

<37> 1989, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11717.

<38> 1958, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11807.

<39> 1957, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11803.

<40> 1979, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11731.

<41> 1989, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11720.

<42> 1979, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11734.

<43> 1975, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX10610.

<44> 1989, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11719.

<45> 1979, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11732.

<46> 1973, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX10589.

<47> 1988, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11712.

<48> 1979, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11730.

<49> 1982, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11735.

<50> 1958, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11807.

<51> 1957, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11803.

<52> 1982, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11762.

<53> 1989, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11752.

<54> 1988, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11748.

<55> 1956, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX10712.

<56> 1982, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11736.

<57> 1988, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11713.

<58> 1979, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11734.

<59> 1979, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11732.

<60> 1979, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11731.

<61> 1979, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11730.

<62> 1982, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11729.

<63> 1989, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11717.

<64> 1988, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11747.

<65> 1982, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11728.

<66> 1988, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11716.

<67> 1988, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11714.

<68> 1989, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11718.

<69> 1989, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11719.

<70> 1989, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11720.

<71> 1989, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11721.

<72> 1979, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11722.

<73> 1982, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11726.

<74> 1982, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11727.

<75> 1988, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX11715.

Sources and further reading