Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Site of deserted medieval village. Griffith trenched an area centred at TQ 79966210, some 70 yards South East of the Church of St Peter in the summer of 1964, and uncovered foundations believed to be those of the remaining part of old Bredhurst village. The pottery recovered is dateable to 1300-1400. The site is within a copse. The trenches have intercepted numerous fragments of wall foundations of flint rubble and mortar, but these make up no coherent pattern and are not surveyable at 1/2500. At TQ 79956210 and TQ 79996212 are two depressions, some 10.0m in diameter and 1.5m. deep, probably collapsed deneholes.

Monument Types

• DESERTED SETTLEMENT (DESERTED VILLAGE, Medieval - 1066 AD? to 1539 AD)

Full description

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[TQ 7993 6208]. Foundations, tiles etc. (1) To the east of the churchyard there is a wood where there was once a village called Bredhurst Town. Several wells still remain. (2) In 1921 the wood was grubbed up and thick flint walls were found together with numerous gault bricks and thin tiles with peg holes. (3) This wood, which is thick with bramble and other undergrowth, contains a few old banks and hollows, two of which appear to be collapsed dene-holes although Hasted makes note of 'wells'. No building material was noted but it is not impossible that this represents an earlier site of Bredhurst as the church now stands about a quarter of a mile from the village. (4) Griffith trenched an area centred at TQ 79966210, some 70 yards SE of the Church of St. Peter in the summer of 1964, and uncovered foundations believed to be those of the remaining part of old Bredhurst village. The pottery recovered is dateable to 1300-1400 (5) The site is within a copse. The trenches have intercepted numerous fragments of wall foundations of flint rubble and mortar, but these make up no coherent pattern and are not surveyable at 1/2500. At TQ 79956210 and TQ 79996212 are two depressions, some 10.0m in diameter and 1.5m. deep, probably collapsed deneholes. (6)(7) Additional bibliography. (8) The settlement survives in the form of an in-use church, buried remains in the new cemetery, and vague earthworks and associated buried remains in the copse. The exact location, survival, condition and extent of the buried remains are not known for certain. Scheduling is not recommended. (9) additional bibliography (10-11)

<1> Rec 6" (O G S Crawford undated) (OS Card Reference). SKE49046.

<2> The Hist of Kent Vol 2 1782 p 528 (E Hasted) (OS Card Reference). SKE50357.

<3> The Rochester Naturalist No 130 Vol 6 (1924) p.53 (Elgar) (OS Card Reference). SKE50502.

<4> F1 CFW 21.11.61 (OS Card Reference). SKE42679.

<5> Letter, L A Griffith 152 Barnsole Road Gillingham Kent 25.8.64 (OS Card Reference). SKE46115.

<6> Arch Cant 80 1965 272 (M A Ocock) (OS Card Reference). SKE35692.

<7> Md Archaeology 9 1965 202 (D M Wilson D G Hurst) (OS Card Reference). SKE46652.

<8> Deserted Medieval Villages 1971 (ed M Beresford J G Hurst) 191 (J Sheail) (OS Card Reference). SKE39724.

<9> English Heritage, English Heritage Alternative Action Report (Miscellaneous Material). SKE53762.

<10> Field report for monument TQ 76 SE 5 - November, 1961 (Bibliographic reference). SKE4140.

<11> Field report for monument TQ 76 SE 5 - September, 1964 (Bibliographic reference). SKE4141.

Sources and further reading