Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Enclosure visible on aerial photographs (Presumed to be this location, no XY on original)

Monument Types

• ENCLOSURE (ENCLOSURE, Unknown date)

Full description

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Site identified during transcription of features recorded on air photographs. (1)

From the Record of Scheduled Monuments:

Three rectilinear enclosures revealed by aerial photographs. They probably belong to the late Iron Age or early Roman Period. The large pale mark near the entrance of the north enclosure is probably caused by some subsequent disturbance of the site. All three enclosures are now being ploughed. Site in large arable field transferred by footbath. Site occupies part of a large tract of cultivated field. No surface indication of buried features.(2)

List entry Description
Summary of Monument
Three rectilinear enclosures, 260m north of East Lodge.



Reasons for Designation
The three rectilinear enclosures 260m north of East Lodge are thought to be the remains of Romano-British settlement such as enclosed farmsteads. On modern arable sites, where cultivation has taken place, the earthworks of archaeological monuments are sometimes levelled or the ditches in-filled and can instead be identified as crop and soil marks. These occur due to differential crop growth (crop marks) or differences in soil colour (soil marks) as a result of buried archaeological features. Where these have been excavated, they are often shown to contain significant archaeological remains and deposits surviving below the modern ground level.

Romano-British farmsteads are small agricultural units comprising groups of up to four circular or rectangular houses along with associated structures which may include wells, storage pits, corn-drying ovens and granary stores. These were sometimes constructed within a yard surrounded by a rectangular or curvilinear enclosure, and associated field systems, trackways and cemeteries may be located nearby. Most Romano-British farmsteads in south east England have been discovered by the analysis of aerial photographs. They usually survive in the form of buried features visible as crop and soil marks and occasionally as low earthworks. Often situated on marginal agricultural land and found throughout the British Isles, they date to the period of Roman occupation (c.AD 43-450). Romano-British farmsteads are generally regarded as low status settlements, with the members of one family or small kinship group pursuing a mixed farming economy.

Excavation at these sites has shown a marked continuity with later prehistoric settlements. There is little evidence of personal wealth and a limited uptake of the Romanised way of life. Romano-British farmsteads occur throughout southern England, but cluster on the chalk downland of Wessex, Sussex and Kent. As the most representative form of rural settlement in the region during the Roman period, all Romano-British farmsteads which have been positively identified and which have significant surviving remains will merit protection.

Despite cultivation on the site in the past, three rectilinear enclosures 260m north of East Lodge survive well as visible crop marks. The site has not been excavated and retains potential for further archaeological investigation, which will provide information regarding the exact nature of the archaeological remains and the past occupation and management of the landscape in this part of Kent. . It will contain archaeological information and environmental evidence relating to the enclosures and the landscape in which they were constructed.

History
See Details.

Details
This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 8 September 2014. The record has been generated from an "old county number" (OCN) scheduling record. These are monuments that were not reviewed under the Monuments Protection Programme and are some of our oldest designation records.

The monument includes three rectilinear enclosures surviving as buried remains. It is situated on a north-facing slope at Quex Park on the Isle of Thanet.

The features have been recorded as crop marks on aerial photographs and are thought to be the remains of Romano-British settlement, most likely farmsteads. The enclosures are denoted by ditches, which are now in-filled and survive as buried features. The southernmost enclosure is located near Shottendane Copse. It is orientated north-south and is approximately 65m long by 53m wide. The interior of the enclosure includes several rectilinear subdivisions. There is a smaller enclosure, possibly marking the site of a building, at the south-west corner. It is on the same orientation and is approximately 20m long by 15m wide. The second enclosure is over 150m to the north. It is orientated broadly north-south and is approximately 47m long by 44m wide. There are two sub-enclosures at the west side. These are also rectangular in shape and approximately 25m long by 15m wide. A break in the ditches of these enclosures marks possible entrances converging upon the same point. The northernmost enclosure is orientated broadly WSW to ENE and is approximately 86m long by 70m wide. There is a break in the ditch, approximately 8m wide on the eastern side, marking an entrance to the enclosure. In close proximity to the entrance is a circular concentration of pits or postholes. The enclosure also has internal sub-divisions on the northern and western side.

The site was recorded as part of the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England (RCHME) Kent Mapping Project carried out in 1986-7. This produced 1:10,000 scale depictions of crop marks identified on oblique and vertical aerial photographs taken across Kent.

Further archaeological remains survive in the vicinity of this site but are not included because they have not been formally assessed. (3)

<1> David McLeod/1986-7/RCHME Air Photo Unit Survey of Kent (OS Card Reference). SKE39678.

<2> English Heritage, Register of Scheduled Monuments (Scheduling record). SKE16191.

<3> Historic England, National Heritage List for England (Index). SKE29372.

Sources and further reading