Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Earthworks and field system in Sheephouse field, Dymchurch parish, Romney Marsh.

Monument Types

• FIELD SYSTEM (Medieval to Post Medieval - 1066 AD to 1900 AD)

Full description

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Earthworks and a field system from Sheephouse field near Dymchurch, Romney Marsh.(1)

Within a c5 hectare pasture field 1km Dymchurch, south of the Edenbridge Road. Broadly rectangular earthworks divide this field up into a number of smaller enclosures. Two of these divide the field, north to south into roughly equal rectangular areas.

An elevated area with significant quantities of tile and rocks suggests the presence of small buildings. A number of small depressions may indcate robbing of material for building purposes.

Two 'significant' small mounds, one almost 1m high and 12 across is held to be the result of the widening of one of the main ditch crossing south to north. The other is isolated from this feature and is 0.5m high and 15m long.

Soil surveying suggests that a sheep house and former shepherd's huts are located on an ancient creek ridge.

Most likely explanation for this pattern is a medieval farmstead, abandoned in the 17th or early 18th century, which was set within a pre-existing field system.(2)

Reeves, A, 1996, Earthworks Survey, Romney Marsh (Article in serial). SKE16109.

<2> Romney Marsh Research Trust, 2010, Romney Marsh Research Trust Gazetteer 2010 (Unpublished document). SKE16034.

Sources and further reading