Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Mine-pits of uncertain nature and date on Wye Downs. In the mid-19th century the pits were erroneously referred to as an "ancient British camp" consisting of "more than 200 caves". The site was visited by Flinders Petrie in the later 19th century. He suggested that the site represented flint extraction. Some excavation occurred in 1955, but no artefacts were recovered except for a few potsherds described at the time as Iron Age. The director of the excavations suggested that the pits represented ironstone extraction rather than flint. The site was visited by RCHME staff in 1995 as part of the Industry and Enclosure in the Neolithic project. Overall, the superficial appearance of the complex is very unlike known Neolithic flint mines. Although flint exists in considerable quantity in the iron/sandstone stratum which overlies the chalk, the interpretation of the site as one of ironstone extraction is probably correct. There is very little struck flint in the vicinity of the pits or in the adjacent ploughed field, but there is ironstone. The possibility of a Neolithic date for the pits can in any case be rejected on the grounds that spoil from some of them overlies a set of lynchets. One of these was misinterpreted as the rampart of the "British camp". The pits are probably of various dates, and the lynchets may have been re-used as tracks to provide access to them. Basic cartographic and documentary research uncovered no references to the origin of the mining complex.

Monument Types

• EARTHWORK (Later Prehistoric - 4000 BC to 42 AD)
• IRONSTONE PIT (Later Prehistoric - 4000 BC to 42 AD)
• IRONSTONE WORKINGS (Later Prehistoric - 4000 BC to 42 AD)
• LYNCHET (Later Prehistoric - 4000 BC to 42 AD)
• POST HOLE (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
• QUARRY (QUARRY, Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)

Associated Finds

• ASSEMBLAGE (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
• VESSEL (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)

Full description

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[TR 07274658] Earthwork [NR] (site of) (1)

The ancient British camp on Wye Downs consists of more than 200 caves. (2)

The pits on Wye Downs, above the Memorial Crown, were excavated in
1955 by London University Summer School. Nothing was found except a
few E1A Sherds about the pits and in the filling of one of the pits.
Jenkins, director of the excavation, thought it possible that they
represent digging for iron stone not flint.

For similar pits for the extraction of ironstone from the Lenham
beds see TR 14 SW 19. (3)

(TR 0727 4658) In July 1995, RCHME's Cambridge Office carried out a Field Observation on the alleged flint mines as part of the project to record Enclosure and Industry in the Neolithic. There is considerable variation in the form of the pits. Some centred at TR 0730 4648 are slight, no more than 0.5m deep and up to 8m in diameter; their degraded appearance may indicate greater antiquity. The majority, including the main area at TR 0727 4658, and outliers at TR 0733 4647 and elsewhere are sub-circular or adit-like, steep sided, well defined, and in many cases appear to have cart ramps descending to their bases. The dimensions vary: the majority are between 5m and 8m in diameter and up to 1m deep, but a few are 15m to 20m wide and between 3m and 5m deep. Several outliers to the north-west are anomalous, those at TR 0728 4684 and TR 072 470 being much larger, and the one at TR 0727 4712 being a genuine adit. Overall, the superficial appearance of the complex is very unlike known flint mines.

Although flint exists in considerable quantities in the iron/sandstone stratum which overlies the chalk, Source 3's conclusion is probably correct; there is very little struck flint in the vicinity of the pits or in the adjacent ploughed field, but some ironstone. The possibilty that the pits are Neolithic in date can be rejected on the grounds that spoil from some of the pits overlies a set of 'celtic' lynchets (TR 04 NE 55). The uppermost of these was supposed to be the rampart of the 'British Camp', referred to by Source 2 (also 4a). The pits are probably, however, of various dates and the lynchets may have been re-used as tracks to provide access to them. Basic cartographic and documentary research uncovered no references to the origin of the mining complex.Crown Hill is potentially the earliest area of iron ore mining known in the country (4)

<1> OS 25" (OS Card Reference). SKE48250.

<2> Hist & Topo of Wye 1842 8-9 (WJ Morris) (OS Card Reference). SKE43764.

<3> F1 CFW 04-APR-1963 (OS Card Reference). SKE42418.

<4> Oral: F Jenkins FSA (Hon Corr) (OS Card Reference). SKE48028.

<5> Field report for monument TR 04 NE 14 - April, 1963 (Bibliographic reference). SKE5129.

<6> Not applicable, SMR Kent uncatalogued index entry, Nicola Bannister 1995 Wye Estate Historic Landscape Survey (Miscellaneous Material). SKE6440.

<7> English Heritage Monuments Protection Programme, 2000, Iron Mining Industry Site Assessment: Crown Field Shaft Mounds, Step 3 report - MPP (Unpublished document). SKE6623.

Sources and further reading