Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Deneholes (sites of) on the South side of Birch Wood, Lenham, and the edge of Collister's Plantation.

Monument Types

• DENE HOLE (DENE HOLE, Early Iron Age to Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 800 BC? to 410 AD?)

Full description

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[Area TQ 9125 5340] North-westwards along the footpath on the south side of Birch Wood, Lenham, three deneholes are situated close together where the footpath comes close to the next wood [Lourne Shaw]. About 100 yards north of the path, on the eastern edge of the wood, there is an open pit about 38ft. deep and beehive shaped in section. At the bottom, five galleries had been driven [making a starshaped plan]. (1)(2) Inside the south west boundary of Birch Wood are the remains of three deneholes. The shafts have been filled up and only bowl shaped depressions remain, at TQ 9135 5326, TQ 9138 5324 and TQ 9139 5324. The site of a fourth is recognisable at TQ 9136 5326. At the north east corner of the wood at TQ 9154 5334 is an isolated denehole. The shaft has been filled up. This may be the pit described above. Surveyed at 1:2500. (3) [TQ 9118 5354] Denehole [NR] [TQ 9155 5334] Denehole [NR] [TQ 9136 5327 and TQ 9138 5325] Deneholes [NR] (4) At TQ 9118 5354 there is a denehole at the edge of Collister's Plantation, published and described on the O.S. 25" 1970 but not mentioned by authorities 1-3. It is open and unfenced, the top 4 metres in diameter, the shaft 3 metres in diameter and the bottom 5 to 6 metres across. it is 8.5 metres deep with three galleries at the base. Of the four deneholes noted (3) at the south west of Birch Wood only two were published, at TQ 9136 5326 and TQ 9138 5326. All three appear to have been completely infilled their sites falling within a small area of woodland clearance. The fourth at TQ 9140 5324, is a depression 4.5 metres across and 0.4 metres deep. At the north east corner of the wood the denehole at TQ 9155 5334 is a depression about 8 metres across and 2.3 metres deep. A large oak rises from the base of the pit. An additional denehole was found 70 metres to the south west at TQ 9149 5331, a depression 10 metres in diameter and 0.8 metres deep. (5)Historic england archive matrial: MD002736 Quarter Sheet TQ 95 SW: Archaeological site 3 (Dene Holes) Ordnance Survey map with ink annotations.

<1> VCH Kent 1908 448 (T V Holmes) (OS Card Reference). SKE50931.

<2> Trans Essex F C 4 1886 97-8 (T V Holmes) (OS Card Reference). SKE50651.

<3> F1 ASP 03-JUL-63 (OS Card Reference). SKE41906.

<4> OS 1:10000 1971 (OS Card Reference). SKE48156.

<5> F2 NVQ 22-Oct -86 (OS Card Reference). SKE43360.

<6> Field report for monument TQ 95 SW 3 - July, 1963 (Bibliographic reference). SKE4829.

<7> Field report for monument TQ 95 SW 3 - October, 1986 (Bibliographic reference). SKE4830.

Sources and further reading