Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Holt Hill is a low sandy hill in Ditton developed as part of the Holt Wood residential area. Mesolithic flint implements, Iron Age pottery and pit dwellings have been reported in the area. Many flint artefacts have been collected including a tranchet axe (Maidstone Museum), blades, scrapers, flakes and cores. The materials range from pale brown to black in colour, some with blue and white patination. Some show signs of being burnt. Four of the flints have secondary retouching. A much used hammerstone was also found.

Monument Types

• FINDSPOT (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)

Associated Finds

• AXEHEAD (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
• LITHIC IMPLEMENT (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)

Full description

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[Area centred TQ 71665798] Mesolithic flint implements, IA 'A' pottery, and also pit-dwellings found in Holt Wood. [This entry not discovered] (1)

[Area centred TQ 71765785 'A'] IA pottery 1949. (2)

The pottery does not appear to be held by Maidstone Museum. The present location of pottery and flint implements has not been ascertained. (3)

Holt Hill is a low, sandy hill rising to a height of 170 ft OD. which no doubt attracted Mesolithic and Iron Age occupation as attested by the above-mentioned finds. The suggestion of pit-dwellings, however, is somewhat tenuous; the pit can probably be explained away as the result of afforestation which has clearly taken place in Holt Wood fairly recently. (4)

TQ 717578 (sited to place name only). One medium sized Mesolithic tranchet axe from Holt Hill is in Maidstone Museum. Information from R.M. Jacobi. Three cores, thirty five blades, one scraper and nineteen other Mesolithic implements are from Holt Hill "Brendon". Information from S. Palmer. (5)

TQ 717578 (O.S. Sheet 171). Fifty eight flint artefacts were collected from Holt Hill on the 26th September 1964, from the building sites at present being developed round the house 'Brandon', Holtswood.The material ranges from pale brown to black in clour, and some of the pieces have a pronounced blue-white patination. Nineteen pieces have been burnt. About thirty eight of the artefacts consist of plain flakes and waste material. Fifteen flints have been utilized as implements, including one round, partially corticated flake and three blade segments with an average width on one centimetre. Four of the flints have secondary retouching. (Depicted on the illustration card are) 1 - an end scraper made from a primary flake. It is completely corticated except for the retouched area. The trimming is neat, with very tiny spalls removed. 2 - a primary flake trimmed along one side for use as a side scrapper. 3 - a basal trimming flake from a micro core retouched for use as a steep scraper. It has been burnt. 4 - is a small blade segment, retouched. A much used hammerstone was found amongst the waste material next to the house. The material has a Mesolithic aspect. (6)

<1> Pte 6" (Maidstone Mus L R A Grove c1950-4) (OS Card Reference). SKE48879.

<2> Maidstone Museum Kent Arch Soc 6" (W N T Undated) (OS Card Reference). SKE46471.

<3> F1 ASP 27-MAY-59 (OS Card Reference). SKE42318.

<4> F2 AC 31-JUL-59 (OS Card Reference). SKE43065.

<5> CBA Res Rep 20 1977 Gaz of Me and Upper Pa Sites in England and Wales 144 (J J Wymer) (OS Card Reference). SKE38860.

<6> Arch Cant 80 1965 258-60 illus (S Palmer) (OS Card Reference). SKE35688.

<7> Field report for monument TQ 75 NW 39 - May, 1959 (Bibliographic reference). SKE3901.

<8> Field report for monument TQ 75 NW 39 - July, 1959 (Bibliographic reference). SKE3902.

Sources and further reading