Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Clay workings or negative lynchets have been observed at Sandown Hill, near Teynham. These were formerly thought to indicate the site of an earthworks.

Monument Types

• LYNCHET (Unknown date)

Full description

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[Area TQ 9644 6258] Teynham: Newlands - close to the north of Watling Street, at an elevation of 100 feet above sea level, is the hill known by this name, once believed to be the site of the Roman station, DUROLEVUM. Of earthwork, rampart and fosse, such as we associate with early defensive enclosures, it posseses none, but the commanding summit has been steeply scarped on all sides but the southern, and the upper portion levelled to form a plateau. The scarping forms a glacis, in places of 15ft., but on the south the camp seems not to have been similarly treated; possibly the natural slope there was sufficient protection. Though, as stated, no rampart now exists, it is likely that one extended along the top of the scarping, and has been thrown down and spread over the plateau to obtain a better level for agricultural purposes. (1) The high hill called Sandown, erroneously marked as the site of DUROLEVUM upon the 1 inch O.S. has been artificially scarped, the earth removed having been distributed over the fields below. There can be little doubt that the hill was so treated for defensive purposes. (2) Sandown hill bears undoubted scarping on the east and west sides, but it lacks the characteristic form of an early camp, and the scarping may well be due to ploughing over a long period of years. (3) Sandown, geologically, is a brickearth deposit in the form of a low, flat-topped hill, with the gentlest slopes to the south. The "scarping" exists but is highest and sharpest where the natural hill slopes are steepest, and non-existent on the south side where the slopes are negligible. If this were once an earthwork, the reverse would surely be the case, with the defences strongest on the weakest slopes. No trace of ditches, or other features to be associated with an earthwork were encountered. The scarping is probably the result of ploughing (i.e. negative lynchets) as suggested by Jessup (Authority 3). (4)

<1> VCH Kent 1908 401 (I Chalkley Gould) (OS Card Reference). SKE50929.

<2> Coll Cant 1893 90-91 (G Payne) (OS Card Reference). SKE39158.

<3> Teynham Manor and Hundred 1935 109 (E Selby) (Addendum by R F Jessup) (OS Card Reference). SKE49844.

<4> F1 ASP 10-JUL-59 (OS Card Reference). SKE42033.

<5> Field report for monument TQ 96 SE 11 - July, 1959 (Bibliographic reference). SKE4897.

Sources and further reading