Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

A flint plano-convex knife, arrowheads, scrapers, and fragments of coarse pot found on "Shell mound". Also two Mesolithic tranchet axes, blades and flakes.

Monument Types

• SHELL MIDDEN (SHELL MIDDEN, Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
• SHELL MIDDEN (SHELL MIDDEN, Neolithic - 4000 BC? to 2351 BC?)

Associated Finds

• AXEHEAD (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
• BLADE (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
• FLAKE (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
• ARROWHEAD (Neolithic - 4000 BC? to 2351 BC?)
• KNIFE (Neolithic - 4000 BC? to 2351 BC?)
• SHERD (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)

Full description

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A Plano-Convex knife with corn glass found in brick earth on Tonge Hill, near Sittingbourne, Kent, by Mr S. Williams, of Murston and now in the possession of Mr F. W. Allen of Chadwell Heath, Essex. It consists of a blade of black flint, the dorsum of which is finely worked over the greater part of its surface by means of shallow parallel flaking. The most striking feature of this implement is the presence of glass resembling the corn glass found on flint sickles. The knife is 4.5 inches long, 1.5 inches broad, with a maximum thicknes of 0.35 inches. Both ends are rounded, the bulbar being broader than the other end. (1) Near Baker's Farm, Tonge, near Bapchild, arrowheads, flint scrapers, coarse pot from "shell-mound", being excavated June 1948 by Mr Williams, 18 Home View, Murston near Sittingbourne. Information from correspondence, W. N. Allen, 41 Oxford Road, Wokingham, Berks, who also has the flints in his possession. (2) Mr S. Williams died six years ago, and no further information can be obtained about this find from his daughter at 11 Home View, Murston. Numerous enquiries revealed no knowledge of Baker's Farm in Tonge parish. There is a Bax Farm (Kent 33 NE) near the east margin of the parish. There is no Tonge Hill by name. There are no distinct hills in the parish, but the ground is very undulating, and it cannot be decided to which "hill" Authority 1 was referring. (3) Mr Leonard Baker (a) stated that Mr Williams carried out some excavations centred at TQ 9275 6388, on his small-holdings as well as on many others in the district, but he cannot recall the "shell mound"excavation or its site. Neither Sir Leslie Doubleday of Hempsted House, Bapchild, who owns several farms in Tonge parish, nor his foreman, Mr Ralph, could add further information. (4) [TQ 930 630 - sited to parish name only] A shell mound on Tonge Hill, Bapchild, dug by Mr and Mrs Allen in 1947 contained the following Mesolithic flint implements: two tranchet axes, nine blades/flakes, and one miscellaneous piece. The site is now destroyed and the material in F. W. Allen's Collection. Information from J. J. Wymer. (5)

<1> Ant J 24 1944 64 illust (Dr E Cecil Curwen) (OS Card Reference). SKE33160.

<2> Maidstone Museum Arch Gazetteer MS in progress (OS Card Reference). SKE46425.

<3> F1 ASP 24-JUL-63 (OS Card Reference). SKE42262.

<4> Information - Mr L Baker Bramley 51 Foxhill Bapchild Sittingbourne (OS Card Reference). SKE44455.

<5> F2 ASP 02-DEC-63 (OS Card Reference). SKE43075.

<6> CBA RR 20 Gaz Mesolithic Sites in England and Wales 1977 145 (ed J J Wymer) (OS Card Reference). SKE38929.

<7> Field report for monument TQ 96 SW 38 - July, 1963 (Bibliographic reference). SKE4967.

<8> Field report for monument TQ 96 SW 38 - December, 1963 (Bibliographic reference). SKE4968.

Sources and further reading