Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

St Nicholas' Chapel/St Mary Magdalene Church (remains of Medieval church). It was known as a place of worship in 1563 and was dependent on Monkton in 1377. Stones from the chapel can be seen in the farm buildings opposite. The only remains are a flint wall with layers of Caen stone 3.5m long, 1.4m high, 1.1m wide. The wall is orientated east-west and is probably the south wall. The site was excavated in 1940 and investigated again in 1981. 3 graves were found. Grave No. 1 is cut into grave No. 2 and grave No. 2 is cut into No. 3. Grave No. 1 is the same style as the Stuart church.

Monument Types

• CHAPEL (Medieval to Post Medieval - 1377 AD? to 1563 AD)
• INHUMATION CEMETERY (Medieval to Post Medieval - 1377 AD? (at some time) to 1563 AD (at some time))

Full description

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[TR 32886805] Church [G.T.] (remains of) (1) St. Mary Magdalenes Church [G.T.] (2) (Site of) The Chapel of St.Nicholas, Wood, which was used as a place of worship in 1563, was dependent on Monkton in 1377. Stones from the chapel can be seen in the farm buildings on the opposite side of the road. (3)(4) Deleted from field astrofoil. (5) The remains of this chapel comprise a section of flint wall 3.5 m. in length, 1.4 m in height and 1.1 m in width, with stone dressings visible at its S.E. corner: it is orientated approximately E.W and probably represents part of the S. wall. Elsewhere it is completely destroyed. Surveyed at 1:2500 No evidence was found to support the dedication given by Auth.2. (6) TR 329681. Located to the nearest fifty metres. Medieval remains St Mary's, Woodchurch. Site no. 80. (7) This site of the Medieval church of St. Mary Magdalene was investigated in 1981. Above ground is a length of wall built in rough flints with some layers of Caen stone. The foundation of rammed chalk rests on natural chalk. Boxes 2,3,4,5,6,7. Each has foundation of rammed chalk. These foundations had been `blown' through exposure to frost and may have been discovered in 1940 when the site was last excavated. The subsoil down to natural chalk had been disturbed in each location and also contained modern materials. Box 8. Though there was an obvious crop mark at this location, excavation did not reveal anything. Box 3. Three graves were found here. The first grave cut into the second, the second into the third. The first grave is of the same style as the graves of the Shuart Church. Apart from coffin nails and small fragments of Medieval floor tiles there were no other finds. The site is now a vegetable plot and tennis courts. (8) Additional bibliography - not consulted. (9)

A programme of test pitting in 2015 comprising 18 pits located broad rammed chalk wall sub-foundations likely to be elements of the outer walls of the church and a cobble wall structure (the most complex structural feature revealed on the site). There appeared to be little or no surviving superstructure above the chalk foundations. "Human remains and evidence for additional graves were relatively abundant within the pattern of test pits". (11)

<1> OS 6" 1961 (OS Card Reference). SKE48369.

<2> OS 25" 1963 (OS Card Reference). SKE48279.

<3> "Testa.Cant - E.Kent" 1907 pp.371-2 (A.Hussey) (OS Card Reference). SKE32692.

<4> "Hist. of Kent" vol.4 1799 p.341 (E. Hasted) (OS Card Reference). SKE32646.

<5> L.S. 25" (F.W.Williams,July 1961) (OS Card Reference). SKE45994.

<6> F1 CFW 01-OCT-63 (OS Card Reference). SKE42382.

<7> Thanet Arch Heritage c1982 8 (Thanet Dist Council & Isle of Thanet Arch Unit) (OS Card Reference). SKE49862.

<8> Isle of Thanet Arch Unit sites and mons Archive 1988 80 (OS Card Reference). SKE44546.

<9> The Hist and Ant Ecclesiastical and Civil of the Isle of Thanet in Kent 1723 (J Lewis) (OS Card Reference). SKE50352.

<10> Field report for monument TR 36 NW 21 - October, 1963 (Bibliographic reference). SKE6226.

<11> Trust for Thanet Archaeology, 2015, Land opposite Woodchurch Farmhouse, Woodchurch, Birchington, Test pitting survey report (Unpublished document). SKE32562.

<11> Isle of Thanet Archaeological Society, c.2000, Woodchurch: Fieldwork Investigations 1999-2000 (Unpublished document). SKE30565.

Sources and further reading