Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Early medieval (Jutish) inhumation burials with associated grave goods indicating a cemetery; found during work over several years from 1949-1955 in the area of Nethercourt Farm, St. Lawrence, Ramsgate. Though Nethercourt is perhaps better known for finds associated with the Prehistoric period, Bronze Age crouched burials have also been discovered there.

The site is on the brow of a gentle west-facing slope, between 35-45m. The bedrock is chalk.

Monument Types

• CROUCHED INHUMATION (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
• CEMETERY (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 410 AD to 1065 AD)
• INHUMATION (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 410 AD to 1065 AD)

Associated Finds

• LITHIC IMPLEMENT (Neolithic - 4000 BC? to 2351 BC?)
• VESSEL (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
• UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT (Early Bronze Age to Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 2350 BC? to 1065 AD?)
• UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT (Early Iron Age to Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 800 BC? to 1065 AD?)
• DAGGER (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 410 AD to 1065 AD)
• KNIFE (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 410 AD to 1065 AD)
• NECKLACE (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 410 AD to 1065 AD)
• SPEAR (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 410 AD to 1065 AD)
• SWORD (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 410 AD to 1065 AD)

Full description

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Jutish burials with associated grave goods indicating a cemetery were uncovered in 1953 during the building of the housing estate at Nethercourt Farm, St. Lawrence, Ramsgate. (1-3) [TR 36696516] Bronze Age and Jutish Burial (sic) found AD 1949 (NAT) (4) Two further inhumations were unearthed on 24.11.53, together with a spearhead, sword and dagger, when the foundation of Nos. 14 and 16 Helvellyn Avenue, were being dug (TR 36796523 - 'B']. The finds are thought to have passed into the hands of the late W.P.D. Stebbing whose collection has now been dispersed. (5) FTR 366651 Nethercourt Farm, Upper Deal, Ramsgate. Anglo Saxon inhumation cemetery. c1898 Dowker (7) mentions Anglo Saxon graves found in Upper Deal. In 1931 a grave was found under the footpath on the western side of London Road. It was orientated west east and thought to be Anglo Saxon. (8) In 1949 drainage trenches cut for the housing estate at Nethercourt Farm cut through 2 graves, one of which was completely destroyed. The other contained a necklace, a bent iron object and a thin fragment of bronze. There was also a thin wedge shaped piece of green flint and 3 red flint pebbles. The teeth of the skeleton were considerably worn (9). In 1953 a grave containing a spear, scramasax and knife was discovered on the Nethercourt Farm estate (6). (6-9) [For Neolithic inhumations associated with this site see TR 36 NE 126]. TR 365654. Examination of the housing estate at Nethercourt showed that there had been a Jutish cemetery on this originally chalk downland. Drainage ditches for the Estate cut through two Anglo Saxon graves, though one of the graves had been previously completely destroyed. The skull in the other grave was thin-walled and the two teeth of the lower jaw remaining showed considerable wear. From this grave a small blue and white spiral glass bead, a thin knife blade or similar iron object and a thin fragment of bronze were recovered along with a thin green-coated wedge-shaped piece of tabular flint 2.75 inches long and three red flint pebbles. In 1955 Stebing reported the finding of a spear head, sword and dagger from a Jutish grave in Nethercourt. Though Nethercourt is perhaps better known for finds associated with the Prehistoric period, Bronze Age crouched burials have also been discovered there. (10)

<1> Arch. Cant. 64, 1951, 150-1, 152 (W.P.D. Stebbing) (OS Card Reference). SKE37026.

<2> Arch. Cant 68, 1954, 204 (OS Card Reference). SKE36960.

<3> Arch. Cant. 69, 1955, 202 (OS Card Reference). SKE37033.

<4> OS 1/1250 1956 (OS Card Reference). SKE48115.

<5> Thanet Advertiser, 1, 27.11.53 (OS Card Reference). SKE49854.

<6> Oral. C. Goodwin, Engineer, Messrs Grumont Bros., Orange Road, Ramsgate (OS Card Reference). SKE48005.

<7> F1 CFW 04-OCT-63 (OS Card Reference). SKE42423.

<8> Gaz. of Early Anglo-Saxon Burial Sites 1964, 130 (A. Meaney) (OS Card Reference). SKE43565.

<9> Letter G.C. Dunning 4.12.64 (OS Card Reference). SKE46107.

<10> Arch. Cant. 24, 1900, 112 (G. Dowker) (OS Card Reference). SKE36987.

<11> Arch. Cant. 51, 1939, 206 (OS Card Reference). SKE37018.

<12> Arch. Cant. 64, 1951, 152 (OS Card Reference). SKE37027.

<13> Isle of Thanet Arch. Unit Sites and MOns. Archive 1988, Record No 163, photo (OS Card Reference). SKE44741.

<14> Field report for monument TR 36 NE 29 - October, 1963 (Bibliographic reference). SKE6169.

Sources and further reading