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Monument details

HER Number:	TQ 76 SW 4
Type of record:	Monument
Name:	Kit's Coty House, Aylesford

Summary

The remains of a Neolithic chambered tomb, known as Kit's Coty House. The visible remains comprise of three large sarsen uprights arranged in an H-plan, topped by a substantial capstone. This structure stands at the south-eastern end of a mound orientated southeast-northwest and now most clearly visible on air photographs due to prolonged erosion by ploughing. The tallest of the upright stones stands circa 2.5 metres above the ground, and the capstone measures circa 4 metres by 2.7 metres. An Ordnance Survey field investigation in 1959 recorded the mound as being of elongated oval plan and measuring circa 80 metres long and up to 33 metres across, with an average height of circa 0.7 metres. The flanking ditches can be seen on air photographs as cropmarks. Minor excavation in the late 18th century proved fruitless. Trial trenching of the mound in 1956 confirmed suspicions that the mound had been revetted or enclosed by a sarsen kerb. While much of the original form of the monument is speculative, even less is known of the contents, as the chamber has been open since at least the late 16th century. There are vague mentions of "rude pottery" and some worn sherds said to be Neolithic or Beaker were found in the surrounding plough soil in the 1930s. A large sarsen recorded nearby by William Stukeley in the 1720s, and known as The General's Tombstone, may have derived from Kit's Coty House. The chamber (but not the mound) was one of the first Scheduled Ancient Monuments and the iron railings surrounding it (which were erected at the insistence of Lt General Pitt Rivers) are testament to early ideas about protecting such sites.

Images

Kit's Coty House, Aylesford © Kent County council

Kit's Coty House © PC/Kent County Council

18th century Illustration of Kit's Coty by Stukeley © Kent County Council

Grid Reference:	TQ 7448 6085
Map Sheet:	TQ76SW
Parish:	AYLESFORD, TONBRIDGE AND MALLING, KENT

Monument Types

CHAMBERED TOMB (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
LONG BARROW (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)

Protected Status:	Scheduled Monument 1012939: KIT'S COTY HOUSE LONG BARROW

Full description

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[TQ 7451 6083] Kits Coty House (Cromlech) [NR] (1) Kit's Coty House [TI] Burial Chamber [NR] (2) The origin and meaning of the strange name of Kits Coty House has puzzled antiquaries since the time of Lambarde. Some of the variations on the name include: 1570 Lambarde Citscotehouse 1586 Camden Keith Coty House 1631 Weever Keith or Kits Coty House 1659 Philipot Kits Cothouse 1754 Colebrooke Keith or Kits Coty House 1773 Grose Kits Cotys House 1793 Douglas Kitz Cotys House 1854 Wright Kits Coty House 1867 Fergusson Kits Cotty or Coity-House The Kit element has been interpreted as Categern or Battle and Coty asWood, Coits or Stones and Small Cottage. Colebrook in 1754 suggested that the name was derived from the use of the megalith as a shelter by a shepherd but he is the only authority and the conjectural shepherd must have lived c. 200 years before. To omit the final "house" from the name is to tamper with a name at least 400 years old. [Author briefly discusses one or two of the supposed origins of the present name but concludes - "... the origin and meaning ... will everevade our question, not for lack of an answer but because there are too many."] (3) Kits Coty House is a burial chamber which once stood at the end of a long barrow, the remains of which were in evidence at the beginning ofthe 18th century, and whose outline according to R. F. Jessup can still be seen from the air. There is an account of this monument which suggests the existence of a peristalith (a). Douglas dug withinthe interior but found nothing (b). The length of the barrow is difficult to determine. Stukeley's sketch represents it to be c. 100ft. long (c). However, at the N.W. end of the mound was a huge monolith called "The General's Tombstone" and in several accounts it is said to be 70-80 yards from the chamber. Stukeley shows it near the west end. (4) The stone structure of Kits Coty House consists of three uprights, forming the letter H in plan, supporting a capstone. Dimensions: S.W. stone - 8ft. by 6ft. 2 inches by 1ft. 8 inches; N.E. stone - 7ft. by 6ft. 8 inches by 2ft.; middle stone - irregular, 6ft. 10 inches high; capstone - pentagonal, 12ft. 10 inches by 9ft. 3 inches by 2ft. (5) There are many references to Kits Coty House in the Beale-Poste MSS. They tell us that "The General's Tombstone" was buried by a tenant in 1787. The accepted story of its end is that it was blown up in 1867 -perhaps it was dug up so that it could be finally destroyed. (6)

A measured survey of the stones and mound was carried out in 1981 by the KARU. The mound was still c.1m high at this time. (18)

From the Registry of Scheduled Monuments:
DESCRIPTION OF THE MONUMENT
The Long Barrow is situated on level ground at the crest of the North Downs overlooking the Medway valley. It is oriented approximately E-W, with the stone chamber near the eastern end. The most distinctive feature of the monument is the H-shaped arrangement of 3 large sarsen slabs, capped by a further slab, which formed the main burial chamber of the Long Barrow. Although these large stones, or megaliths, now stand unsupported, they are believed originally to have been buried within a large, elongated earthen mound, of which only traces survive today. The mound was some 80m in length and 12-15m in width and was probably broader at the eastern end than at the western end. Earth and chalk for the construction of this mound was quarried from the now-infilled flanking ditches which run parallel to it. These quarry ditches are more clearly visible on aerial photographs than on the ground. Such photographs indicate that the northern ditch extended for the full length of the mound while the southern ditch was shorter, not extending as far as either end of the mound. The monument has been the subject of enquiry since 1570, but no satisfactory explanation for the name has yet been found. Historical accounts suggest that the mound was surrounded by a revetment of sarsens positioned at intervals, some of which may survive beneath the ploughsoil but most of which have been unearthed and/or destroyed, the latest as recently as 1947. Although no bones have been reported by any of the investigators of the monument, the strong similarity with other examples which have yielded such evidence allows the safe interpretation of Kit's Coty House as a Neolithic burial monument.

ASSESSMENT OF IMPORTANCE
Long barrows were constructed as earthen or drystone mounds with flanking ditches and acted as funerary monuments during the Early and Middle Neolithic periods (3400-2400 BC). They represent the burial places of Britain's early farming communities and, as such, are amongst the oldest field monuments surviving visibly in the present landscape. Where investigated, long barrows appear to have been used for communal burial, often with only parts of the human remains having been selected for interment. Certain sites provide evidence for several phases of funerary monument preceding the barrow and, consequently, it is probable that long barrows acted as important ritual sites for local communities over a considerable period of time. Some 500 long barrows are recorded in England. As one of the few types of Neolithic structure to survive as earthworks, and due to their comparative rarity, their considerable age and their longevity as a monument type, all long barrows are considered to be nationally important. This example has a particularly well-preserved burial chamber and is also of high archaeological potential due to the survival of the remains of the burial mound and the flanking ditches. The burial chamber having been taken into guardianship, the monument is also of high amenity value. (26)

Magnetometer and resistance surveys carried out by Birmingham University in July 2009 revealed the form and extent of the ploughed-out mound associated with the megalithic structure, in addition to a later prehistoric, Roman, or medieval enclosure nearby. 1.4ha around Kit’s Coty House was surveyed via magnetometry, with a further 0.16ha via resistivity. This revealed an 84m long mound, of maximum width of 16m. Its form is unusual, possibly suggesting several phases of construction and extension, the nature of which is unparalleled in any other similar monuments in England or Wales. (27)

Historic Englan Archive material (28)

?18TH CENT DRAWING/ENGRAVING OF 'KIT'S COITY HOUSE' Types: CHAMBERED LONG BARROW (Photograph). SKE129.

ENGRAVING FOR 'THE ANTIQUARIAN AND TOPOGRAPHICAL CABINET' 1812 Types: CHAMBERED LONG BARROW (Photograph). SKE500.

KET'S COITY HOUSE,ENGRAVING PUBLISHED BY ALEXANDER HOGG Types: CHAMBERED LONG BARROW (Photograph). SKE213.

Ordnance Survey: Portfolios (Collection). SKE6541.

PRINTED REVERSED - TAKEN FROM THE BACK Types: CHAMBERED LONG BARROW (Photograph). SKE127.

PROBABLE MEGALITHIC STRUCTURE AT WEST END - NOT REMAINING Types: CHAMBERED LONG BARROW (Photograph). SKE114.

VARIOUS VERSIONS OF NAME - NONE REVEAL ORIGIN Types: CHAMBERED LONG BARROW (Photograph). SKE111.

VARIOUS VERSIONS OF NAME - NONE REVEAL ORIGIN Types: CHAMBERED LONG BARROW (Photograph). SKE112.

VARIOUS VERSIONS OF NAME - NONE REVEAL ORIGIN Types: CHAMBERED LONG BARROW (Photograph). SKE113.

VIEW Types: CHAMBERED LONG BARROW (Photograph). SKE126.

VIEW Types: CHAMBERED LONG BARROW (Photograph). SKE130.

VIEW Types: CHAMBERED LONG BARROW (Photograph). SKE222.

VIEW Types: CHAMBERED LONG BARROW (Photograph). SKE223.

VIEW Types: CHAMBERED LONG BARROW (Photograph). SKE178.

VIEW Types: CHAMBERED LONG BARROW (Photograph). SKE212.

VIEW Types: CHAMBERED LONG BARROW (Photograph). SKE502.

VIEW Types: CHAMBERED LONG BARROW (Photograph). SKE503.

VIEW Types: CHAMBERED LONG BARROW (Photograph). SKE504.

VIEW Types: CHAMBERED LONG BARROW (Photograph). SKE505.

VIEW Types: CHAMBERED LONG BARROW (Photograph). SKE506.

VIEW Types: CHAMBERED LONG BARROW (Photograph). SKE501.

VIEW WITH RAILINGS Types: CHAMBERED LONG BARROW (Photograph). SKE175.

VIEW WITH RAILINGS Types: CHAMBERED LONG BARROW (Photograph). SKE176.

VIEW WITH RAILINGS Types: CHAMBERED LONG BARROW (Photograph). SKE177.

<1> OS 6" 1910 (OS Card Reference). SKE48325.

<2> OS 6" 1939 (OS Card Reference). SKE48359.

<3> Arch Cant Vol 65 1952 p.106-113 (J H Evans) (OS Card Reference). SKE36426.

<4> Dr Stukeley's Diaries Surtees Soc p.76 226 (OS Card Reference). SKE41511.

<5> Nenia Britannica 1793 p.181 (OS Card Reference). SKE47528.

<6> Iter Cur 2nd edn 1776 Platch (OS Card Reference). SKE44786.

<7> Arch Cant Vol 63 1950 p.63 ff (J H Evans) (OS Card Reference). SKE36417.

<8> VCH Kent Vol 1 1906 p.318 illus (OS Card Reference). SKE51188.

<9> Beake-Poste MSS (Maidstone Museum) Vol 3 Sect p.3 77-83 (OS Card Reference). SKE37605.

<10> Arch Cant Vol 62 1949 p.133-4 (J H Evans) (OS Card Reference). SKE36413.

<11> OS Prof Paper NS no 8 1924 (O G S Crawford) (OS Card Reference). SKE48426.

<12> Arch Cant Vol 70 1956 p.250 ff (A McCreirie) (OS Card Reference). SKE36433.

<13> Wanderings of an Antiquary 1854 p.193 (T Wright) (OS Card Reference). SKE51272.

<14> Prehistoric Chamber Tombs of England and Wales 1950 p.234 (G E Daniel) (OS Card Reference). SKE48652.

<15> MOW nameplate (OS Card Reference). SKE47358.

<16> F1 AC 14-JUL-59 (OS Card Reference). SKE41801.

<17> F2 ASP 20-OCT-64 (OS Card Reference). SKE43140.

<18> Philp, B, 1981, A survey of the Medway megaliths, KAR 64: 87 (Article in serial). SKE24000.

<18> Philp, B. and Dutto, M., 2005, The Medway Megaliths: An illustrated guide to the famous Neolithic chambered long-barrows of the Medway area (Monograph). SKE23999.

<19> Arch Cant 97 1984 232 illus (R Holgate) (OS Card Reference). SKE36304.

<20> Antiquity 55 1981 51-53 illus (P Saunders) (OS Card Reference). SKE33296.

<21> The Buildings of Engalnd West Kent and the Weald 1980 141 (J Newman) (OS Card Reference). SKE50164.

<22> Arch J 126 1969 240 (E Warman) (OS Card Reference). SKE36548.

<23> Field report for monument TQ 76 SW 4 - July, 1959 (Bibliographic reference). SKE4162.

<24> Field report for monument TQ 76 SW 4 - October, 1964 (Bibliographic reference). SKE4163.

<25> "KITS COTY" (Collection). SKE6554.

<26> English Heritage, Register of Scheduled Monuments (Scheduling record). SKE16191.

<27> Institute of Archaeology & Antiquity, Birmingham University, 2009, Kit's Coty House and Little Kit's Coty House, Kent: Geophysical Survey, 2009 (Unpublished document). SKE16366.

<28> Historic England, Archive material associated with Kits Coty House Scheduled Monument (Archive). SKE54073.

Sources and further reading

Cross-ref.	Source description
---	Photograph: VARIOUS VERSIONS OF NAME - NONE REVEAL ORIGIN Types: CHAMBERED LONG BARROW. AA69/01610. Black and White. Negative.
---	Photograph: VARIOUS VERSIONS OF NAME - NONE REVEAL ORIGIN Types: CHAMBERED LONG BARROW. AA69/01611. Black and White. Negative.
---	Photograph: VARIOUS VERSIONS OF NAME - NONE REVEAL ORIGIN Types: CHAMBERED LONG BARROW. AA69/01612. Black and White. Negative.
---	Photograph: PROBABLE MEGALITHIC STRUCTURE AT WEST END - NOT REMAINING Types: CHAMBERED LONG BARROW. AA69/01613. Black and White. Negative.
---	Photograph: VIEW Types: CHAMBERED LONG BARROW. AA71/05698. Black and White. Negative.
---	Photograph: PRINTED REVERSED - TAKEN FROM THE BACK Types: CHAMBERED LONG BARROW. AA71/05699. Black and White. Negative.
---	Photograph: ?18TH CENT DRAWING/ENGRAVING OF 'KIT'S COITY HOUSE' Types: CHAMBERED LONG BARROW. AA71/05905. Black and White. Negative.
---	Photograph: VIEW Types: CHAMBERED LONG BARROW. AA71/05920. Black and White. Negative.
---	Photograph: VIEW WITH RAILINGS Types: CHAMBERED LONG BARROW. AA77/05028. Black and White. Negative.
---	Photograph: VIEW WITH RAILINGS Types: CHAMBERED LONG BARROW. AA77/05029. Black and White. Negative.
---	Photograph: VIEW WITH RAILINGS Types: CHAMBERED LONG BARROW. AA77/05030. Black and White. Negative.
---	Photograph: VIEW Types: CHAMBERED LONG BARROW. AA81/01111. Black and White. Negative.
---	Photograph: VIEW Types: CHAMBERED LONG BARROW. BB46/03016. Black and White. Negative.
---	Photograph: KET'S COITY HOUSE,ENGRAVING PUBLISHED BY ALEXANDER HOGG Types: CHAMBERED LONG BARROW. BB58/00317. Black and White. Negative.
---	Photograph: VIEW Types: CHAMBERED LONG BARROW. BB67/08165. Black and White. Negative.
---	Photograph: VIEW Types: CHAMBERED LONG BARROW. BB67/08166. Black and White. Negative.
---	Photograph: ENGRAVING FOR 'THE ANTIQUARIAN AND TOPOGRAPHICAL CABINET' 1812 Types: CHAMBERED LONG BARROW. P29041. Black and White. Print.
---	Photograph: VIEW Types: CHAMBERED LONG BARROW. P29042. Black and White. Print.
---	Photograph: VIEW Types: CHAMBERED LONG BARROW. P29043. Black and White. Print.
---	Photograph: VIEW Types: CHAMBERED LONG BARROW. P29044. Black and White. Print.
---	Photograph: VIEW Types: CHAMBERED LONG BARROW. P29045. Black and White. Print.
---	Photograph: VIEW Types: CHAMBERED LONG BARROW. P29046. Black and White. Print.
---	Photograph: VIEW Types: CHAMBERED LONG BARROW. P29047. Black and White. Print.
---	Collection: Ordnance Survey: Portfolios.
<1>	OS Card Reference: OS 6" 1910.
<2>	OS Card Reference: OS 6" 1939.
<3>	OS Card Reference: Arch Cant Vol 65 1952 p.106-113 (J H Evans).
<4>	OS Card Reference: Dr Stukeley's Diaries Surtees Soc p.76 226.
<5>	OS Card Reference: Nenia Britannica 1793 p.181.
<6>	OS Card Reference: Iter Cur 2nd edn 1776 Platch.
<7>	OS Card Reference: Arch Cant Vol 63 1950 p.63 ff (J H Evans).
<8>	OS Card Reference: VCH Kent Vol 1 1906 p.318 illus.
<9>	OS Card Reference: Beake-Poste MSS (Maidstone Museum) Vol 3 Sect p.3 77-83.
<10>	OS Card Reference: Arch Cant Vol 62 1949 p.133-4 (J H Evans).
<11>	OS Card Reference: OS Prof Paper NS no 8 1924 (O G S Crawford).
<12>	OS Card Reference: Arch Cant Vol 70 1956 p.250 ff (A McCreirie).
<13>	OS Card Reference: Wanderings of an Antiquary 1854 p.193 (T Wright).
<14>	OS Card Reference: Prehistoric Chamber Tombs of England and Wales 1950 p.234 (G E Daniel).
<15>	OS Card Reference: MOW nameplate.
<16>	OS Card Reference: F1 AC 14-JUL-59.
<17>	OS Card Reference: F2 ASP 20-OCT-64.
<18>	Monograph: Philp, B. and Dutto, M.. 2005. The Medway Megaliths: An illustrated guide to the famous Neolithic chambered long-barrows of the Medway area.
<18>	Article in serial: Philp, B. 1981. A survey of the Medway megaliths. KAR 64: 77-92. KAR 64: 87.
<19>	OS Card Reference: Arch Cant 97 1984 232 illus (R Holgate).
<20>	OS Card Reference: Antiquity 55 1981 51-53 illus (P Saunders).
<21>	OS Card Reference: The Buildings of Engalnd West Kent and the Weald 1980 141 (J Newman).
<22>	OS Card Reference: Arch J 126 1969 240 (E Warman).
<23>	Bibliographic reference: Field report for monument TQ 76 SW 4 - July, 1959.
<24>	Bibliographic reference: Field report for monument TQ 76 SW 4 - October, 1964.
<25>	Collection: "KITS COTY".
<26>XY	Scheduling record: English Heritage. Register of Scheduled Monuments. [Mapped feature: #327 Kits Coty House, ]
<27>	Unpublished document: Institute of Archaeology & Antiquity, Birmingham University. 2009. Kit's Coty House and Little Kit's Coty House, Kent: Geophysical Survey, 2009.
<28>	Archive: Historic England. Archive material associated with Kits Coty House Scheduled Monument.