Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

A medieval settlement survives in the form of earthworks and associated buried remains. It is enclosed by an irregular defensive circuit. This is visible as a bank up to 4m wide and 1m high, surrounded by a ditch up to 5m wide and 0.5m deep. Excavations in 1971 revealed the flint footings of an 'L'-shaped building ranged around the north eastern and south eastern sides of a roughly square yard. The analysis of pottery fragments found during the excavation suggests that the building was in use during the 13th and early 14th centuries. Surrounding the courtyard is a group of roughly rectangular earthworks representing further buildings, small enclosed fields and associated features, some of which extend beyond the northern boundary of the main enclosure.

Monument Types

• EARTHWORK (Medieval - 1200 AD to 1399 AD)
• HOLLOW WAY (Medieval - 1200 AD to 1399 AD)
• SETTLEMENT (Medieval - 1200 AD to 1399 AD)

Associated Finds

• SHERD (Medieval - 1200 AD to 1399 AD)

Full description

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[TQ 9723 5092] Earthwork and ditch. (1) This is an old rectangular field boundary bank within Chapel Wood. Centred at TQ 9720 5097, it measures 40.0 metres by 80.0 metres, and is open to the S.W. Against the S. side is a platform with the flint wall foundation of a small building orientated N.-S., and outside against the outer ditch on the N. and E. sides at TQ 9721 5099 and TQ 9725 5097 respectively, are what appear to be two filled in deneholes. A slight hollowway with a bank on the S. side approaches the enclosure from the W. (2) [TQ 972 509] Charing. Medieval remains in Chapel Wood. Scheduled. (3) The flint walls found in Chapel Wood, Charing, are thought to be medieval and potsherds found at the site are mainly of 13th century date. It has not yet been established whether these ruins are of domestic habitation or the 'chapel' of local legend. The remains may be those of Eversley Manor which, according to Hasted (a), was situated 'above the hills within the bounds of Charing parish and partly within Stalisfield', it was 'anciently of some consequence as being one of the mansions of Bryan de Eversley, a man of much eminence in the reigns of Henry III and Edward I'. (For two other possible sites of Eversley Manor see TQ 95 SE 12.) (4) (See Illustration Card for map showing extent of scheduled area.) (5) Remains of medieval settlement - ?manor of Eversly. The Chapel Wood complex is confined to the two hectares SU 971509 and SU 972509, to the S of this the wood has been cleared and is now under pasture. It proved impossible to contact the owner Mr East, whose only known address is the caravan on the site, but a brief reconnaisance revealed not only the known features (authy 2) and the excavated building (authy 3) but a number of platforms and subsidiary hollow-ways, ditches, and one large building whose outer walls now appear as banks, and extensive footings of another multi-roomed structure. Little or no back-filling has been done and the site is overgrown with neglected woodland and undergrowth. The ground and excavation evidence clearly point to a medieval settlement complex of some sort, but more research is required before it can be identified unequivocally with Eversly Manor (Authy4). In view of the fact that the owner could not be contacted and HBMC had nothing further to add beyond the Chapel Wood address for Mr East no survey of the site was attempted. (6) Excavation at Chapel Wood, Charing, TQ 972 509, 1971. An exploratory excavation. The excavation was started on 6th June 1971. The pottery finds are now held at Fleetmarsh, Hart Hill, Charing. The 'Garth' area of Chapel Wood is bounded to the North by a metalled lane called Chapel Wood Lane and to the West by a bridle path, both leading to the B2077 road. The site is contained within banks forming a rough oval shape 13.5m across the longest E/W axis and 9.75m across the N/S axis. The site is part of a coppiced wood. Excavation revealed traces of mortar bonded flint walling at ground level. The first 30cm excavated was leaf soil and below this was found about 10cm deep layer of broken tile sherds covering a layer of ash. These two layers were found on either of the standing wall fragments. In two places the top of the wall was covered with a lime mortar layer, indicating that the walls may have been the sleeper walls to a timber framed building. The sections of standing wall and the outline traces of flint and mortar walling on the rest of the site showed that there had been a building of some 13m long by 6m wide. Inside of the standing section of wall at a level 10cm below the ash line was found pottery, animal bones and oyster shell. The pot sherds were all fragmentary with some base, handle and rim pieces from which it was possible to assess and early 14th century dating, with one sherd of green glazed wall as late 13th century imported French pottery. A cross trencvh was cut across the North and south banks revealing in both cases the remain of flint walling 50cm wide. The conclusion to be drawn from this site as so far excavated is that of an early medieval building possibly timber framed and tiled on flint wall foundations, enclosed within a boundary wall of flint on man made banks. This must surely have been part of the maonr complex of - as Hasted puts it - the now lost manor of Eversley, of which the post mill site in Hurst Wood was also a part (7)

The settlement, which survives in the form of earthworks and associated below ground remains, is enclosed by an irregular defensive circuit. This is visible as a bank up to 4m wide and 1m high, surrounded by a ditch up to 5m wide and 0.5m deep. Investigations, including a detailed survey carried out in 1988, indicate that the focus of the settlement lies in the western sector of the monument. Part excavation in 1971 revealed the flint footings of an 'L'-shaped building ranged around the north eastern and south eastern sides of a roughly square yard. The analysis of pottery fragments found during the excavation suggests that the building was in use during the 13th and early 14th centuries. Leading into the courtyard from the north west is a hollow way. Surrounding the courtyard is a group of roughly rectangular earthworks representing further buildings, small enclosed fields and associated features, some of which extend beyond the northern boundary of the main enclosure.(8)

<1> Private 6" Maidstone Museum (L R A Grove Curator Undated) (OS Card Reference). SKE48662.

<2> F1 ASP 19-JUL-63 (OS Card Reference). SKE42184.

<3> DOE (IAM) AMs of England 2 1978 113 (OS Card Reference). SKE40704.

<4> Hist and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent 1778 (E Hasted) (OS Card Reference). SKE43779.

<5> Arch Cant 87 1972 221-3 (P Winzar) (OS Card Reference). SKE35891.

<6> DOE (IAM) AMs Record Map May 1976 (OS Card Reference). SKE40706.

<7> F2 CFW 19-MAR-87 (OS Card Reference). SKE43261.

<8> Typescript: Excavation at Chapel Wood 1971 (PB Ryan, Fleet Marsh, Hart Hill, Charing) (OS Card Reference). SKE50695.

<9> Field report for monument TQ 95 SE 5 - July, 1963 (Bibliographic reference). SKE4823.

<10> Field report for monument TQ 95 SE 5 - March, 1987 (Bibliographic reference). SKE4824.

<11> RCHME Field Investigation, 15-APR-1988, NV Quinnell & CD Dunn. (OS Card Reference). SKE49001.

<12> Chapel Wood settlement/ink survey (Graphic material). SKE6412.

<13> RCHME: Chapel Wood, Charing, Kent (Collection). SKE6505.

<14> English Heritage, 1965, Dover Castle (Scheduling record). SKE6594.

Sources and further reading