Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

A Jutish cemetery was discovered near Dene Chapel in 1923. There were 20 graves, which were poor in relics. Nine graves were opened in 1863 and one grave was opened in 1893. Earlier finds were made during the construction of the Margate/Minster road and prior to 1848 a number of graves were discovered in the vicinity of the chapel. It is supposed that these burials were part of an Anglo-Saxon cemetery near St John's cemetery. The bodies were laid supine, with heads aligned west-north-west or north-west. The bodies were in poor condition but one was probably a child. One was a woman and one was a girl. These two had earthenware accessory vessels. Other graves contained three spears, a key, a knife and a buckle. A cemetery was discovered in 1843 and excavated in 1924.

The cemetery is situated on the brow of a gentle north-west facing Chalk ridge. OD 30-33m.

Monument Types

• CEMETERY (CEMETERY, Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 410 AD to 1065 AD)

Associated Finds

• KNIFE (Undated)
• BUCKLE (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 410 AD to 1065 AD)
• KEY (LOCKING) (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 410 AD to 1065 AD)
• PATERA (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 410 AD to 1065 AD)
• SPEAR (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 410 AD to 1065 AD)
• VASE (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 410 AD to 1065 AD)

Full description

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[TR 34986913] Anglo Saxon Burial Ground (NR) (1) A Jutish cemetery was discovered in 1923 when about 20 graves poor in relics, were found by Dr. Rowe near Dene Chapel. In 1893 one grave was exposed when the cemetery wall was built near Black Cottage and in 1863 nine graves were opened when the road was repaired at the top of the hill. Still earlier finds were made during construction of the Margate/Minster road. (2,3) A plan by Dr. Rowe in Margate Public Library shows the majority of the burials on a line extending from TR 34946901 to TR 34996914 with the main concentration centred on TR 34966907. The site lies mainly under the main Margate-Minster road and there is no record of subsequent burials either from here or from the arable fields which flank its west side. (4) TR 349691. Anglo Saxon burials. Site no. 45. (5) TR 349691. Inhumation cemetery, Margate. Prior to 1848 a number of graves were discovered in the vicinity of the Chapel (a), Rowe (b) supposes that these burials were part of the Anglo Saxon cemetery he subsequently discovered near St John's cemetery and that Dixon (b) was wrong in siting them near the Dene Chapel (TR 36 NW 25), which is 300 yds away in a valley. In 1863 9 graves were discovered when the top of the hill was lowered; with one was an earthen ware vessel. The bodies were probably laid supine, but there were possibly 2 contracted burials. The direction of the head varied from WNW to NW. The poor condition of the burials created difficulties in determining age and sex, however, one grave was probably a child's, and there were a woman and a girl, each with an accessory vessel, one an 10 inch black earthenware vase, the other a coarse black earthenware patera, 5 inches in diameter. Only 3 other graves contained goods, these consisted of 3 spears, a key, a knife and a buckle. (6) A cemetery on this site was discovered in 1843. A. Rowe excavated here in 1924. (7)
The cemetery is situated on the brow of a gentle north-west facing Chalk ridge. OD 30-33m.

Additional references (8-11)

The cropmark traces of numerous (70+) graves are visible at TR 3482 6916 on aerial photographs: EARTH.GOOGLE.COM JUL-2013 ACCESSED 13-NOV-2023 and EARTH.GOOGLE.COM JUL-2017 ACCESSED 13-NOV-2023 and mapped as part of the Historic England Thanet Landscape Mapping Project 2024. The graves are clustered around and cut into two probable Bronze Age round barrows (TR 36 NW 91 and MKE 125753) A smaller ring ditch within the group may be the remains of an Anglo-Saxon barrow. This is recorded separately. A smaller cluster of 5 graves are visible as cropmarks close to the Manston Road at TR 3495 6906. (12-13)

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

<2> Pte 6" (Kent AS 1950) (OS Card Reference). SKE48862.

<3> Maidstone Museum Archaeol Gazette (OS Card Reference). SKE46450.

<4> Historic Guide of Thanet 1848, 58 (Dixch) (OS Card Reference). SKE44076.

<5> F1 AC 10-APR-53 (OS Card Reference). SKE41785.

<6> Thanet. The Archaeol Heritage c.1982, 5 (Thanet Dist. Council and Isle of Thanet Archaeol Unit) (OS Card Reference). SKE49918.

<7> Gazetteer of Early Anglo-Saxon Burial Sites 1964, 128 (A Meaney) (OS Card Reference). SKE43573.

<8> The Visitors new guide...to the Isle of Thanet...Margate 1850 (CD Dixon) (OS Card Reference). SKE50535.

<9> Isle of Thanet Gazette 20-JAN-1923 (A Rowe) (OS Card Reference). SKE44782.

<10> Isle of Thanet Archaeol Unit Sites and Mons. Archive 1988, record No.45, illust. photo (OS Card Reference). SKE44776.

<11> Field report for monument TR 36 NW 23 - April, 1953 (Bibliographic reference). SKE6228.

<12> Google.Com, 1960-2023, Earth.Google.Com orthophotography, EARTH.GOOGLE.COM JUL-2013 ACCESSED 13-NOV-2023 (Archive). SKE57111.

<13> Google.Com, 1960-2023, Earth.Google.Com orthophotography, EARTH.GOOGLE.COM JUL-2017 ACCESSED 13-NOV-2023 (Archive). SKE57111.

Sources and further reading