Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Site of the 14th century manor house of Upper Court, demolished ‘before the reign of Queen Anne’. First identified by Cotton in 1895 as a parch mark. Aerial photographs taken in the mid 1960s first showed it to be a rectilinear ditched enclosure with the remains of possibly 2 small buildings within it. It has in the past been interpreted as the site of Roman villa but more recent excavation work has conclusively shown it to be of probable 14th century date.

Monument Types

• BOUNDARY DITCH (Medieval - 1300 AD? to 1475 AD?)
• MANOR HOUSE (Medieval - 1300 AD? to 1475 AD?)

Associated Finds

• POTTERY ASSEMBLAGE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• NAIL (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• PLANT REMAINS (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• ANIMAL REMAINS (Medieval - 1300 AD? to 1475 AD?)
• CERAMIC (Medieval - 1300 AD to 1499 AD)
• FLOOR TILE (Medieval - 1300 AD to 1499 AD)
• HORSESHOE (Medieval - 1300 AD to 1499 AD)
• POTTERY ASSEMBLAGE (Medieval - 1300 AD to 1499 AD)

Full description

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Site of the 14th century manor house of Upper Court, demolished ‘before the reign of Queen Anne’. First identified by Cotton in 1895 as a parch mark which could be traced in dry weather in the field on the left hand side of the St. Lawrence - Manston road, just beyond the railway crossing (1). Aerial photographs taken in the mid 1960s first showed it to be a rectilinear ditched enclosure with the remains of possibly two small buildings within it (2-5). According to the site agent, massive stone foundations were encountered during the construction of storage sheds at the site (2) and these were probably removed at this time, accounting for the truncated nature of the site (16).

The site has in the past been interpreted as the site of a Roman villa (6-11). An investigation in 1977 found a scatter of Romano-British pottery in an outer boundary ditch (11). More recent excavation work has conclusively shown it to be of 14th century date (12-16). It is now thought that the Roman material may relate to an as yet undiscovered Roman site nearby or may even have been residual within the medieval ditches (16). Evaluation of the site in 1995 demonstrated the cropmark to be a multi-ditched enclosure with the slight remains of at least one stone building at its centre. Dating evidence from the enclosure ditches showed the site to be Medieval in origin, but provided no evidence for it surviving into the post-medieval period. One ditch contained sherds of Saxon organic-tempered pottery, although these are considered to be residual (12) and probably from the adjacent site of that period (16).

It is now thought that the site represents an unusual Medieval manor site, not moated but rather surrounded by ditches, some of which possibly relate to hedges. This type of arrangement has recently been identified elsewhere, at St Cross, near Winchester, Hampshire, consisting of ditches and boundaries around a manorial garden and/or orchards which surrounded the house. The manor house itself was only partly explored during the excavations on the site but is believed to be c.25m long with a possible wing to the north-east. Overall, the manor building covers an area 45m x 20m within perhaps five concentric square or rectangular ditched enclosures, covering an area 150m x 150m. Some or all of the enclosure ditches had been infilled by the end of the 15th century (16). Though there are early 18th century references to the manor still standing (1), these mostly relate to ruins that were in the process of being cleared. It is possible, therefore, that the site was relatively short lived, being a new foundation of the 14th century and with most of its boundaries having fallen from use by the late 15th century. Little of the manor complex survived or was directly explored, with more of the ditches sectioned than the buildings, and it is therefore possible that better dating evidence remains to be found, perhaps relating to later phases of use. The post-medieval trackway that crossed the area did not respect the medieval boundary ditches of the manor site (16).

Note: The Ordnance Survey incorrectly located the site c.125m to the east from the 3rd edition of the 25" map onwards (17).

It has been recorded that "the Jutes excavated from Ozengell cemetery were reburied here" (10)

Ramsgate Heritage Action Zone Aerial investigation report (18)

<1> Hist. of St. Lawrence, Thanet 1895, 168 (C. Cotton) (OS Card Reference). SKE44073.

<2> F1 AC 05-MAR-64 (OS Card Reference). SKE41765.

<3> AP (CUC VB 33, 45-6, 14.06.57) (OS Card Reference). SKE33492.

<4> F1 AC 10-OCT-63 (OS Card Reference). SKE41787.

<5> Field report for monument TR 36 NE 27 - March, 1964 (Bibliographic reference). SKE6167.

<5> Field report for monument TR 36 NE 28 - October, 1963 (Bibliographic reference). SKE6168.

<6> Field report for monument TR 36 NE 28 - October, 1963 (Bibliographic reference). SKE6168.

<6> Wessex Archaeology, Tesco Site Manston Road, Ramsgate, Kent: Specification for an Archaeological Excavation (Draft), Tesco site, Manston Rd: Specification for arch excavation, draft, Wessex arch, 1996. (Unpublished document). Ske12073.

<7> J.R.S. 48,1958, 99 (J.K. St.Joseph) (OS Card Reference). SKE44846.

<8> Thanet. The Arch. Heritage c.1982, 10 (Thanet Dist. Council & Isle of Thanet Arch. Unit) (OS Card Reference). SKE49908.

<9> Trust for Thanet Archaeology, Thanet SMR, cropmark plot. (Miscellaneous Material). SKE6443.

<10> Not applicable, SMR Kent uncatalogued index entry, Assessment of arch. implications of proposed development at Manston rd, Trust for Thanet arch. 1994. (Miscellaneous Material). SKE6440.

<11> Trust for Thanet Archaeology, 1987, Isle of Thanet Archaeological Unit Sites and Monuments Archive, Isle of Thanet Arch. Unit Sites and Mons. Archive 1988, Record No 162 (Collection). SKE11846.

<12> Wessex Archaeology, 1995, Tesco Site, Manston Road, Ramsgate, Kent, Archaeological Evaluation (Unpublished document). SKE13312.

<13> Wessex Archaeology, Tesco Site Manston Road, Ramsgate, Kent: Specification for an Archaeological Excavation (Draft), Tesco site, Manston Rd: Specification for arch excavation, draft, Wessex arch, 1996. (Unpublished document). SKE12073.

<14> Wessex Archaeology, 1996, Tesco Site, Manston Road,Ramsgate, Kent, Draft Interim Notes (Unpublished document). SKE16009.

<15> Wessex Archaeology, 1996, Tesco Site, Manston Road,Ramsgate, Kent, Draft Interim Notes (Unpublished document). SKE16009.

<16> Wessex Archaeology, 2009, A Late Bronze Age, Anglo-Saxon, And Medieval Settlement Site At Manston Road, Ramsgate in "Kentish Sites And Sites Of Kent A Miscellany of Of Four Archaeological Excavations." (Article in monograph). SKE16055.

<17> OS 6" 1962 (OS Card Reference). SKE48371.

<18> Historic England, Ramsgate Heritage Action Zone: An Assessment of Aerial Photographs and Lidar (Unpublished document). SKE55468.

Sources and further reading