Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Medieval salt mound visible as an earthwork on LIDAR Environment Agency DTM 02-DEC-2019.

Monument Types

• SALT WORKS (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• SALTERN (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• SITE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)

Full description

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On the Chislet Marshes, part of the old Wantsum Channel which formerly divided Thanet from the mainland, are some 50 large mounds (area centred TR 239666) resembling the Md salt-working mounds of Seasalter (TR 06 SE 6) and the Isles of Sheppey and Harty. Although the majority have been reduced by the plough many still rise to over 3.0m in height and in some instances to over 350m in length; with a few exceptions they are situated in the middle of the channel which must have reached an advanced state of silting when they were formed. Burnt earth and oyster shells occur on all the mounds and 13th/14th c pottery fragments (identified by S E Rigold) were found on some of them. The process used was to wash brine from sludge collected from areas flooded during the spring tides and then to obtain the salt through evaporation by boiling. The waste sludge was dumped and in time formed large and conspicuous mounds (a). In Domesday the Archbishop of St Augustines, Canterbury is recorded as having 47 salt-pans yielding 50 loads of salt at Chislet; (b) also listed are five saltpans at Reculver, one at Monkton and two at Wickhambreux (c). Fifteen Saltcotes are mentioned amongst the tithes of the vicar of Chislet in 1345 (d). Published 25" survey revised. (For the 30 other salt-mounds in the Wantsum Channel see TR 26 SE 2 - 5, TR 26 SW 24, 25, TR 26 NW 30,31). Note: Within recent weeks a start has been made on the complete razing of the mounds near to the Thanet Way - area centred TR 233675. (1) [Groups of saltworks in this area are numbered seperately, see TR 26 NW 29, 48, 49, 50, 52, 53, 54, 55]. Additional bibliography (2-7). Photographs (8-11).

Medieval saltern mound visible as an earthwork on LIDAR Environment Agency DTM 02-DEC-2019. This feature was mapped as part of the Historic England Isle of Thanet project in 2024.(12)

<1> Md Arch 5 1961 346-8 (M W Thompson) (OS Card Reference). SKE46641.

<2> VCH Kent 3 1932 243-4 (OS Card Reference). SKE51120.

<3> VCH Kent 3 1932 211 216-7 232-3 (OS Card Reference). SKE51118.

<4> W Thorne Chronicles of St Augustines, Canterbury 1934 554 (A H Davis) (OS Card Reference). SKE51255.

<5> F1 CFW 04.11.63 (OS Card Reference). SKE42416.

<6> Field report for monument TR 26 NW 40 - November, 1963 (Bibliographic reference). SKE5875.

<7> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, Canterbury Sites and Monuments Record, 51 (Index). SWX11836.

<8> 1946, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX9676.

<9> 1946, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX9464.

<10> 1946, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX9460.

<11> 1946, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX9459.

<12> Environment Agency, 2017, 2019, LIDAR Environment Agency 1m DTM, LIDAR Environment Agency DTM 02-DEC-2019 (Archive). SKE57108.

Sources and further reading