Prehistoric ring-ditch and other features on Wood Hill, Kingsdown, near Deal
Wood Hill, on the outskirts of Kingsdown near Deal, occupies a prominent position overlooking the English Channel at the north-eastern end of a long ridge of chalk downland, about 900m inland from the present shoreline (Fig. 1). Bounded by dry valleys, the summit of the hill rises to just over 70m OD and is capped by a localised deposit of Clay-with-Flints. Much of this clay area is covered by Kingsdown Wood. During the Second World War a radar station occupied the hill and foundations of some associated structures still survive. In the fields around the wood, surface scatters of Roman and prehistoric pottery and flintwork have been collected by local researchers over many years (Parfitt 1985, 207–8; Halliwell and Parfitt 1993, 83; Parfitt 2011, 394).
[fg]jpg|Fig. 1 Map of Ringwould and Kingsdown area showing location of Wood Hill and excavated features (F. 1, Ring-ditch; F. 2, Boundary ditch).|Image[/fg]
An aerial photograph taken in 1980 revealed a number of cropmarks in the area. Between 1982 and 1986 the Dover Archaeological Group undertook a programme of field investigation in the region, aimed at understanding the context of the surface finds and sampling some of the cropmarks. Details concerning an important Lower Palaeolithic flint site discovered on the summit of the hill have been previously [pg321]published (Halliwell and Parfitt 1993, 83–85; Scott-Jackson 2000; Winton 2004), together with a report on a late Iron Age and Romano-British occupation area located on the south-eastern side of the hill (Parfitt 2011).
North-east of the wood, the 1980 air photograph showed the clear outline of a ring-ditch about 20m in diameter (Fig. 1, F. 1), with a linear boundary ditch nearby (Fig. 1, F. 2). Neither feature appeared to be connected with the former radar station and the ring-ditch was identified as the probable remains of a ploughed- out round barrow. A limited programme of field investigation was undertaken on the site in 1985–1986 with the intention of recovering information concerning the preservation, character and date of the ring-ditch.
The ring-ditch lies on a north-east facing slope at an elevation of about 56m OD, some 250m north-east of the Kingsdown Wood, 25 metres south-west of the grounds associated with Sparrow Court (formerly Chalk Hill Farm) and about 150m south of Ringwould Road. NGR TR 3728 4813, centred. The boundary ditch lies slightly further north and runs north-west by south-east across the axis of the ridge (Fig. 1). The soils in this area are relatively thin and chalky, contrasting with the heavier clays found on the top of the hill. The underlying bedrock is chalk of the Margate Chalk Member. The Tithe map indicates that the area of the ring-ditch was arable land in 1841 but the 1936 Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain (map Sheet 117) indicates that it was then permanent grassland. Sometime after the Second World War the area came back under cultivation, which remained the case when the excavations were conducted, but subsequently, during the 1990s, the field reverted back to pasture again and is now used for grazing horses.
The evaluation work on the ring-ditch was undertaken by hand and consisted of the excavation of two locating trenches in 1985, followed in 1986, by a limited area excavation, covering around 75 square metres. This extended from the centre of the enclosed area to the ring-ditch on the north-western side (Fig. 2). No attempt was made to excavate the complete monument. The field surface in the vicinity of the ring-ditch produced a small quantity of prehistoric flintwork but this was comparatively sparse in comparison with other parts of Wood Hill (Halliwell and Parfitt 1993, 83).
[fg]jpg|Fig. 2 General plan of ring-ditch, F.1.|Image[/fg]
The excavated features
The excavations revealed a total of seventeen individual cut-features (Fig. 2), including the ring-ditch itself (F. 1), a series of post-holes, part of a pit (F. 4) and portions of two boundary ditches (F. 2 and F. 3). Most of these features are probably later than the ring-ditch, with boundary ditch F. 3 tentatively dated to the post-medieval period.
The Ring-ditch, F. 1
Trenching soon established that the natural chalk surface on the site had been significantly truncated by modern ploughing. If, as seems very likely, the ring-ditch represents the remains of a round barrow, nothing of any central barrow mound or buried early topsoil survived under the 0.25–0.50m thick layer of modern plough soil that covered the site.
[pg322]The air photograph indicates that the ring-ditch was unbroken by any causeway and the excavations suggested that it enclosed an area slightly oval in shape (Fig. 2), measuring about 21.00m (NW–SE) by 22.20m (NE–SW). The ditch was of quite substantial proportions, being between 1.80 and 2.30m wide across the top and, as surviving, 1.04 to 1.26m deep into the chalk. Its excavated profile appeared somewhat variable, although generally presented with convexly sloping sides and a flat base between 0.20 and 0.60m across (Fig. 3).
[fg]jpg|Fig. 3 Sections across ring-ditch, F. 1 and other features.|Image[/fg]
There was no obvious evidence for any re-cutting within the filling of the ditch and it would seem that once excavated, the feature had been allowed to slowly silt up through natural weathering processes. The lower half of the ditch was found to be entirely filled by sterile deposits of loose small chalk rubble (Context 74). The only finds recovered from these were shells of land snail. The middle fills of the ditch (Contexts 73, 77 & 79) and its upper fills (Contexts 72, 75, 78 & 89) consisted [pg323]of various deposits of cream-brown and brown clay loam, generally containing further significant quantities of small chalk. A limited amount of cultural material, mostly prehistoric flintwork, was recovered from these higher fills.
Collectively, the ditch fills produced only a small finds assemblage, amounting to twenty-four pieces of struck flint (Table 2), three burnt flints, one flint-tempered pot-sherd (context 75) and a single limpet shell (context 78). Much of this material is likely to be residual.[pg324]
Pit, F. 4
On the south-western side of the area enclosed by the ring-ditch, part of a large pit was discovered (F. 4). Perhaps about half was exposed in the trench (Fig. 2). It appeared to be circular or oval in shape and measured 1.75m (NE–SW) by at least 0.91m (NW–SE). The pit was 0.36m deep, with sloping sides and dished base (Fig. 3, Section 28). Although set within the ring-ditch enclosure, there is no certain evidence that this feature was contemporary with it. The filling consisted of a lower deposit of small chalk rubble in cream silt, possibly naturally weathered material, overlain by deposits of brown clay loam with chalk. Only the uppermost filling (Context 81a) produced any finds, in the form of two unworked struck flints and a single limpet shell.
Four-post structure, Fs 11, 15, 16 & 17, with Fs 10, 12 & 13 (Fig. 2; Table 1)
A regular setting of sizeable post-holes (Fs 11, 15, 16 & 17), located just inside the north-western edge of the ring-ditch, formed the distinct outline of a four-post structure, measuring about 2.10m (E–W) by 2.20m (N–S), set at an angle to the ditch (Fig. 2). The individual post-holes were circular or oval in plan, 0.36 to 0.56m across the top, between 0.17 and 0.30m deep, with steep sides and a flat base (Table 1). Each contained traces of a central post-pipe. These pipes were circular in shape, between 0.25 and 0.44m in diameter. Collectively, the fillings of the post-holes produced just five prehistoric struck flints (Table 2), including a large hammerstone in F. 16, which had clearly been re-used as a packing stone. There was no more precise dating evidence.
Two smaller post-holes (Fs 10 & 12; Fig. 2; Table 1) occurred immediately adjacent to the structure’s south-western post-hole (F. 11) and are probably connected. Feature 10 showed evidence of a 0.25m diameter post-pipe. Only slightly further away, post-hole F. 13 may also have been associated with the four- post structure in some way. The filling of post-hole F. 10 produced seven sherds of flint-tempered prehistoric pottery (21g), broadly datable to the Bronze Age or Iron Age (see below).
Although contemporary four-post timber structures have occasionally been noted at the centres of ditched round barrows (e.g. Wouldham, Kent; Simon’s Ground, Dorset; Cruse and Harrison 1983, 93–4; Grinsell 1992, 359), these are usually smaller than the present example and the positioning at Kingsdown implies that the structure here was not directly connected with the ring-ditch monument. More probably it is of a later date and seemingly represents another example of the small rectangular structures regularly found on late Bronze Age and Iron Age habitation sites believed to represent raised granaries. Locally, a probable Early Iron Age example of such a structure has previously been discovered near Ringwould, about 1.1km to the north-west (Parfitt 1981, 108).
Other post-holes, Fs 5–9 & 14 (Fig. 2; Table 1)
Six other post-holes (Fs 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 & 14) were recorded during the excavations (Fig. 2; Table 1). All except one (F. 14) fell within the ditched area. Two (Fs 5 & [pg325]6) lay on the north-eastern side of pit F. 4 and might have been connected with it in some way. These were of differing shapes and sizes. The larger one (F. 5) contained evidence for a sub-rectangular post-pipe positioned towards its north- eastern end. The filling of F. 6 produced fifteen fragments of animal bone, two large flint cores and a burnt flint. The flints all appear to have been used as packing stones for the original post.
Post-holes Fs 7, 8 and 9 lay just to the south of the four-post structure (see above), with F. 7 located on the northern edge of the post-medieval ditch, F. 3 (Fig. 2; see below). None contained any datable material (Table 1). Post-hole F. 14 lay on the outer lip of the ring-ditch, a little to the west of the four-post structure. It contained evidence for a post-pipe, with the contained post originally set deeper into the chalk but there were no datable finds.
Table 1 Details of recorded post-holes
[tb][th]F. No.|Shape|Length (m)|Width (m)|Depth (m)|Sides|Base|Post-pipe (m)|Finds[/th]
[tr]11|Circ.|Dia.|0.48|0.17|Steep|Flat|0.36 x 0.31|1 flint[/tr]
[tr]15|Circ.|Dia.|0.43|0.20|Steep/vert.|Dished|Dia. 0.25|3 flint[/tr]
[tr]16|Circ.|Dia.|0.56|0.30|Steep|Flat|Dia. 0.44|1 flint[/tr]
[tr]17|Oval|0.50|0.36|0.23|Steep|Flat|Dia. 0.39|-[/tr]
[tr]5|Sub-rect.|0.56|0.45|0.32|Steep|Flat|0.25 x 0.23|-[/tr]
[tr]6|Circ.|Dia.|0.33|0.17|Steep|Flat|-|15 bone; 2 flint[/tr]
[tr]7|Circ.|Dia.|0.35|0.10|Steep|Flat|-|-[/tr]
[tr]8|Oval|0.46|0.34|0.10|Steep|Flat|-|-[/tr]
[tr]9|Circ.|Dia.|0.38|0.08|Sloping|Dished|-|-[/tr]
[tr]10|Circ.|Dia.|0.38|0.25|Vertical|Flat|Dia. 0.25|7 pot[/tr]
[tr]12|Circ.|Dia.|0.18|0.11|Sloping|Rounded|-|-[/tr]
[tr]13|Circ.|Dia.|0.40|0.30|Steep|Flat|-|-[/tr]
[tr]14|Circ.|Dia.|0.45|0.11|Steep|Undulating|Dia. 0.36|-[/tr]
[/tb]
Straight ditch, F. 2
A short distance to the north of the ring-ditch, the cropmark of a straight ditch was noted on the 1980 air photograph, aligned north-west by south-east across the axis of the ridge (Fig. 1, F. 2). Traceable for a distance of at least 90m, the projected line passes some 10m north-east of the ring-ditch. It was sectioned at two points, which showed it to be between 1.60 and 1.80m wide across the top and 0.70–0.78m deep, with convexly sloping sides and a flattish base (Fig. 3, Section 24).
The lower half of the ditch was filled by sterile deposits of loose small chalk rubble. The middle and upper fills consisted of various deposits of cream-brown and brown clay loam, generally containing further significant quantities of small chalk. Some prehistoric flintwork, including nine waste flakes and two cores, was [pg326]recovered from its upper filling (Table 2) but most of this material is likely to be residual. No other dating evidence was recovered, and the age of the ditch must remain uncertain. It does not appear to be closely connected with the ring-ditch or ditch F. 3 (see below).
Post-medieval boundary ditch, F. 3
Not visible on the air photograph, excavation established that running almost east–west through the middle of the area enclosed by the ring-ditch was a straight ditch (Fig. 2, F. 3). This appeared to represent some sort of field boundary, although its full extent was not revealed. It clearly continued on in both directions and no doubt cut across the ring-ditch itself beyond the excavation limits. Its projected line eastwards would have joined with any continuation of ditch F. 2 at an angle of around 45 degrees with nothing to suggest that they were closely related.
Within the excavation, F. 3 was traced for a minimum distance of 14.00m (Fig. 2). It was between 1.10 and 1.40m wide across the top and was about 0.48m deep, with sloping sides and a rounded base. Where sectioned, the brown clay loam and chalk filling produced a single animal bone, a fragment of soft orange-red brick, three small fragments of orange-brown burnt daub, a piece of heavily corroded iron and a crumpled piece of plain copper alloy sheet. Based on these finds an early post-medieval date may be suggested for this feature.
The positioning of this ditch, passing through almost the exact centre of the enclosure, is perhaps significant. It seems possible that it was deliberately situated here in order to utilise any surviving barrow mound as a fixed point of reference for local land division. If so, such a boundary was not recorded on the Tithe map or any subsequent Ordnance Survey maps, so it is presumably pre-nineteenth century in date.
Finds
The limited nature of the excavations meant that the number of finds recovered was relatively small. The general impression gained, however, was that the ring-ditch monument had never served as a focus for regular refuse disposal, implying that the site stood away from the main centres of local activity. The bulk of the finds discovered consist of prehistoric struck flints, together with smaller amounts of pottery, animal bone and marine shell. All the material from the site has now been deposited at Dover Museum, together with a copy of the site archive.
Pottery
The investigations produced just nine pot-sherds (38g), of which one rim of sandy Roman grey ware (11g) was an unstratified surface find. The remaining pieces were recovered from two of the excavated features (ring-ditch, F. 1, one sherd, Context 75; post-hole F. 10, seven sherds). All are small plain fragments of flint-tempered ware broadly datable to the prehistoric period. Most are wall sherds lacking any diagnostic features but there is one simple upright rim fragment from F. 10. The fabrics present suggest that the sherds from F. 10 (contexts 84 & 85) represent [pg327]at least three different vessels. Close dating of such small, featureless sherds is difficult beyond assigning them to a broad Bronze Age – Iron Age range. Nor is the rim recovered from F. 10 more closely datable within this period. coarser tempering occurring in a number of the pieces might hint at a Bronze Age, rather than Iron Age, date but this cannot be certain.
Prehistoric flintwork
The excavations yielded a total of fifty-six pieces of prehistoric flintwork (4903g; Table 2), including a dozen items collected from the field surface in the general vicinity of the excavation. Apart from two hammerstones/pounders, there are no recognisable tools in the assemblage which mostly consists of waste flakes (47), together with seven cores.
The raw material employed is predominantly local downland flint, readily available in the immediate area. Bullhead flint, also easily found locally, was rare with just three waste flakes present. The two hammerstones/pounders were both made from beach pebbles taken from the nearby seashore. The majority of the flints are in a relatively fresh condition and are covered by a thin pale blue-white patina that contrasts with the thick ivory-white patina of earlier, Palaeolithic material found elsewhere on Wood Hill (Halliwell and Parfitt 1993, 83).
The two hammerstones/pounders recovered are of differing sizes. That from the middle filling of the ring-ditch is the lighter one, with a weight of 400g. The much larger specimen from post-hole F. 16 weighs 1287g. In its excavated context it had apparently been re-used as a packing stone to support the central post.
The seven core and core fragments recovered form a somewhat variable group, of differing sizes and extent of working. None had been very carefully produced. Two cores were recovered from the ring-ditch, F. 1; two from the boundary ditch, F. 2; two from the filling of post-hole, F. 6 and one from the field surface. Largest are the two from F. 6 (331g & 1141g), neither of which had been extensively flaked and had probably been re-used as packing stones in the post-hole. The waste flakes recovered mostly consist of secondary flakes (35), with 11 tertiary flakes and one primary. None show any signs of working or utilisation.
Table 2 Distribution of prehistoric flintwork
[tb][th]Context|Waste flakes|Core/core frag.|Hammerstone|Total[/th]
[tr]Field surface (70)|11|1|-|12[/tr]
[tr]Ring-ditch, F. 1, Lower filling|-|-|-|0[/tr]
[tr]Ring-ditch, F. 1, Middle filling|6|1|1|8[/tr]
[tr]Ring-ditch, F. 1, Upper filling|15|1|-|16[/tr]
[tr]Straight ditch, F. 2|9|2|-|11[/tr]
[tr]Pit, F. 4|2|-|-|2[/tr]
[tr]PH, F. 6|-|2|-|2[/tr]
[tr]PH, F. 11|1|-|-|1[/tr]
[tr]PH, F. 15|3|-|-|3[/tr]
[tr]PH, F. 16|-|-|1|1[/tr]
[tr][b]Total[/b]|[b]47[/b]|[b]7[/b]|[b]2[/b]|[b]56[/b][/tr]
[/tb]
[pg328]The general lack of diagnostic tool types within this small flint assemblage makes dating difficult and more than one industry could be represented. The bulk of the flintwork is perhaps broadly datable to the late Neolithic or Bronze Age period but most of this material was probably residual in its excavated location.
Animal bone and marine shell
Fifteen fragments of animal bone were retrieved from post-hole F. 6 (49g), with a single piece from post-medieval boundary ditch F. 3 (16g). The material from F. 6 includes six fragments from teeth. No human bones were identified.
Marine shell on the site was represented by single limpet shells recovered from the upper filling of the ring-ditch (Context 78) and pit F. 4 (Context 81a). Such shellfish were probably collected from the seashore not far from the site.
Dating and discussion
Dating evidence for the Wood Hill ring-ditch is disappointingly sparse but by analogy with many other similar sites now excavated and recorded across Kent, there seems little doubt that it represents the plough-eroded remains of a round barrow, most probably of Bronze Age date. The finds evidence is largely consistent with such a conclusion. A number of other prehistoric round barrow/ring-ditch sites are known in the Kingsdown area. Four have seen some limited excavation, notably those on Ringwould Free Down, about 1.35km to the south-west (Woodruff 1874, 21–26; Kent HER ref. TR 34 NE 12; Fig. 1).
No trace of any barrow mound or central burials survived on the present site. If burials ever existed, they could have been destroyed when the later boundary ditch, F. 3 was cut across this area, or have been erased through ploughing. There was no evidence that pit F. 4 on the south-western side of the ring-ditch was a grave. The occurrence of a late boundary ditch (F. 3) running across the centre of the site might provide some confirmatory evidence that there was once a barrow mound here, which had subsequently provided a convenient marker for local land division during the post-medieval period.
Although it does not occupy the highest part of the ridge, the positioning of the monument would seem to have been very deliberate. There are clear views eastward to the sea at Oldstairs Bay, under 1km away and The Downs beyond. Longer views to the north take in the lower chalklands towards present-day Deal, with the Isle of Thanet on the horizon, some 17km distant.
The four-post structure located just within the north-western margin of the ring-ditch enclosure appears to be unrelated to the main monument and is fairly certainly of a later date. Timber four-post structures of this general size and form typically date to the late Bronze Age or Iron Age period and are usually interpreted as raised granaries. Activity on Wood Hill during the late Bronze Age and throughout the Iron Age period is also indicated by surface pottery scatters in adjacent fields, together with a few excavated features (Parfitt 1985, Sites 1 & 2; Parfitt 2011).[pg329] This evidence indicates that there was scattered habitation across the entire area. The present four-poster is thus most likely to be connected with this occupation, the pot-sherds recovered from adjacent post-hole F. 10 perhaps suggesting that this was erected sometime during the late Bronze Age or early Iron Age period.
Possibly sheltering in the lee of any surviving barrow mound, the positioning of the four-poster could imply that such a mound did not extend as far as the ditch, with a separating berm providing a conveniently level area for the erection of the later structure. Similarly, a berm might also account for the positioning of pit F. 4, but not some of the other, scattered and undated post-holes recorded further into the enclosed area (Fig. 2).
Acknowledgements
Thanks are due firstly to the late Jim Pearson-Wood, then owner, for allowing access to the land. Of the Group members who undertook the work thanks are due to Miss Tina Avann (now Mrs Parfitt), the late Ben Stocker and the late Geoff Halliwell, Mike Halliwell and Howard Jones, for their hard work over a number of weekends.
Keith Parfitt
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