Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Prehistoric barrow group, Lord of the Manor. A series of at least 6 probably neolithic enclosures were constructed and re-used as barrows in the Bronze Age. Later, early medieval burials were excavated around the barrows.

Monument Types

• ENCLOSURE (Middle Neolithic to Late Neolithic - 3500 BC to 2351 BC)
• BARROW CEMETERY (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)

Full description

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[Area TR 355 653] Crop marks (six, possibly more, ring ditches). (1)

These marks, probably representing the sites of round barrows are situated on the top and S facing slope of a broad downland ridge. The only surface trace is at 'A' (TR 3552 6530) where there is a strongly marked chalky ring, 18.0 m in diameter, in freshly ploughed loamy soil. Surveyed at 1:2500. (2)

TR 35506543 Triple concentric ring ditches. Part of a single ring ditch and a circular pit. Also a small ring ditch at TR 35396548. (3)

TR 356653. Bronze Age barrow group excavated 1846-1982. Site No.157. (4)

TR 354653. Early Bronze Age three ring ditched barrow ['B'] excavated in 1976 by the Thanet Archaeological Unit. The three ring ditches represent three phases, at fairly narrow intervals. The primary grave contained the crouched burials of a man and a woman, but no grave goods; the secondary burials consisted of five inhumations and a cremation in a cord decorated pot, accompanied by a barbed and tanged arrowhead. The final outer ditch of the third phase was wider and deeper than others, the upcast from its cutting being used to fill in the earlier ditches. This ditch remained open and its upper levels contained a series of Early Iron Age pottery, and C1st AD Romano-British pottery. (5 and 14)

Excavations of this area of Neolithic-Early Bronze Age barrows extended to TR 357653 in 1981 where the excavation of a barrow ['C'] revealed a circular ditch of c30.0 m in diameter. Internal features included the burials of a complete ox, and, in a small central pit, carefully placed skeletal material derived from two or more adult humans, with some animal bone. (6)

Half a barrow was destroyed during the construction of the A256. The pit at the centre contained calcined bone, an accessory cup and a bronze awl. (7)

TR 356653. Barrow group situated on both sides of the A256 about 100 m N of the railway bridge, excavated between 1976 and 1982 by the Thanet Archaeological Unit. Site 1 - Three concentric ditches were revealed, the outer one 20.0m in diameter. At the centre of the barrow was a pit containing a double crouched burial. Around this was arranged five inhumation burials and a cremation burial contained in a small cord-decorated urn. The outer ditch is very likely a ceremonial enclosure of the period 2200 - 1900 BC. The site was probably refurbished and the inner ditches cut to convert the enclosure into a round barrow, perhaps a century or so later. Sites 2A,2B, 2C and 4 - These smaller sites with ditches of narrow V-section probably represent the remains of ploughed-off Bronze Age barrows. Site 4 had at its centre a pit with an uncontained cremation and an incense cup of Wessex Culture Type (c1400 BC). Site 2D - The evidence from this site tends to support the interpretation of Site 1. The ring ditch had an entrance causeway and was 22.0 m in diameter. A series of slots had been cut into the floor of the ditch. Between them other slots had been marked out but not actually cut. The stratigraphy of the ditch fill suggested that originally the upcast from it had formed an inner bank. At the centre of the enclosure was a low platform of rammed chalk cut by a complex system of post holes around a small hearth. Although the crouched burial was found overlying one of the post holes, it is thought that the enclosures had been constructed and used as a small henge. Site 3 - Here again the enclosures had an entrance causeway. The ditch was 26.0m in diameter and had been deepened in places, notably on either side of the causeway which was narrowed during this modification from an original width of more than 2.0m to about 0.3m. Subsequently the ditch infilled naturally over a long period for about three quarters of its total depth. Much of the infill was removed through slots cut in the natural chalk of the sides of the ditch. This work can be associated with the insertion of a cremation burial at the centre of the enclosure, the recutting providing material for a mound over the burial. Site 5 - This enclosure was found to be broadly similar to sites 1, 2D and 3 in dimensions and ditch section. As at site 3, a natural ditch infill had been cut at a later date. An abandoned Neolithic ceremonial enclosure is likely to have been refurbished in the Bronze Age. Extensive quarrying of the ditch in Roman times ant the insertion of Anglo-Saxon burials had destroyed much of the evidence containing selected and carefully arranged bones of five skeletons. Evidence is insufficient for dating this feature. Site 6 - A barrow pond formed by a shallow saucer-shaped pit cut into the chalk bedrock. It was encircled by a raised bank of chalk spoil and a ring ditch. A cremation burial dated c1400 BC contained in a cordoned urn was found in a small pit cut into the bank. Major portions of each barrow were left unexcavated. (8)

Additional Info (9-13).

A number of carved and decorated chalk ‘cups’ were found in the later phases of the barrow ditches of the triple ditched example [B]. (14)

"The ring-ditched enclosures marked as LOM 1-6 are part of a possibly middle, certainly late neolithic to early Bronze Age ceremonial landscape in use between c. 2800-1700 BC. Of these LOM1, 2D, 3A and 2 smaller ring-ditches were entirely stripped and excavated in 1976 and 1977, LOM 5 (the triple-ditched enclosure) sample trenched during the 1980s and LOM 6 remains unexcavated as a Scheduled Monument.

The first main phase of later neolithic activity is represented by the large enclosures that were later occupied by barrows. LOM 1 had no internal feautres but produced large quantities of residual later neolithic worked flint and grooved ware pottery. LOM 2D was smaller but had a causewayed entrance on its south-west side and a chalk platform with a hearth area inside a small post built structure with a porch. The flint and pottery was again late neolithic. LOM 3A also had no features but produced large quantities of flint and the skull of a young woman from the primary fill of the ditch.

The second main phase of neolithic activity saw the continuing use of the enclosures for social gathering and ceremonies. Fragments of beaker pottery were recovered from "the first two enclosures." LOM 1 produced sherds of finely made beakers with decoration using careful corded and comb-tip decoration dated to c. 2300-2000 BC."(15)

<1> St Joseph A/Ps AFK 98, AFL 5 (OS Card Reference). SKE49617.

<2> F1 ASP 26-FEB-65 (OS Card Reference). SKE42305.

<3> AP (RAF 541 508 F4055; 22.04.50) (OS Card Reference). SKE34106.

<4> Thanet The Arch Heritage c1982, 10 (Thanet Dist Council & Isle of Thanet Arch Unit) (OS Card Reference). SKE49899.

<5> Arch Cant 92, 1976, 254-5 (OS Card Reference). SKE36111.

<6> Arch Cant 98, 1982, 242 (D R J Perkins) (OS Card Reference). SKE36332.

<7> K A R U T222A (OS Card Reference). SKE45205.

<8> Isle of Thanet Arch Unit Interim Report 1976, 13-17 and 1977-80 (OS Card Reference). SKE44522.

<9> 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 157, photo (Collection). SKE11846.

<10> Field report for monument TR 36 NE 51 - February, 1965 (Bibliographic reference). SKE6193.

<11> Trust for Thanet Archaeology, 1989, Rescue Excavations at Ozengell/Lord of the Manor, Ramsgate, Rescue Excavations at Ozengell/Lord of the Manor, Trust for Thanet Archaeology (D. Perkins) (Unpublished document). SKE11892.

<12> Trust for Thanet Archaeology, Thanet SMR, cropmark plot. (Miscellaneous Material). SKE6443.

<13> Trust for Thanet Archaeology, 1994, A Desk-Based Assessment of the Archaeological Implications of a Proposed Development at Manston Road, Ramsgate (Unpublished document). SKE12032.

<14> Trust For Thanet Archaeology, 1977, The Excavation of a Neolithic/Bronze Age Site at Lord of The Manor, Haine Road, Ramsgate (Monograph). SWX7109.

<15> Thanet Archaeological Society, 2012, Lord of the Manor, Ramsgate (Bibliographic reference). SKE32078.

Sources and further reading

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