ALKHAM VALLEY, KENT

Project Design and Findings to Date

(Key location details for this site have been removed for publishing on this site)

The Background

This report deals with recent discoveries of a Bronze Age barrow cemetery and inhumations dating to the 6th and 7th centuries at a farm located in the Alkham Valley. The site is situated on a bull nosed confluence at 112m OD aligned NNE-SSW between two valleys on the North Downs, within and overlooking the eastern end of Alkham Valley, near Dover, Kent. The land slopes steeply away towards the northeast and very steep on the north and south slopes of the spur. In 2007, the area of the site was grazed pasture, although it had been under cultivation the previous year. The underlying geology is chalk reached at between 10cm and 56cm. Three visible low mounds the most prominent being visible on the skyline from a distance, were identified as a potential Bronze Age barrow cemetery by Rebecca Burrows in the winter of 2005. The ridge rises steeply from 50 OD to 135 OD at its summit over an area of 684 metres.

In March 2007, the project led by the author with additional support from History Hunters Worldwide; commenced a series of three-day exploratory excavation to examine the most pronounced mound together with, other anomalies within the immediate hinterland. A series of organized metal detecting surveys by Jim Walker from the White Cliffs Metal Detecting Club was undertaken across the entire site. Only one contemporary copper-alloy stud was found. The site was found to be heavily contaminated with WWII shrapnel and hundreds of box nail making metal detecting extremely difficult.

The importance of the projects context is the whole assemblage of chalk-cut circular and sub-circular features identified during Earth Resistance geophysical surveys undertaken by Sub Scan South-East. Unlike the usual concentric ringed barrows found commonly throughout east-Kent, this group of at least four tumuli at the site appears to link together in an odd manner, forming a chain shaped sequence over an area of more than 40 metres. The diameter of these earthworks ranges between approximately 9 and 18 metres. Further fieldwork now suggests as many as 10-15 barrows may be present. Since this hitherto previously unknown site was discovered, research into past and present publications regarding sub-circular-oval mounds has failed to produce any comparable series of ring-ditches here in Kent. Although several documented sites of these rarish straight-sided tumuli are known in other counties. Our research also shows that very few of these sites exhibit evidence for multiple monuments having usually being found to be singular or in groups of three or four. Mound II currently under excavation has added yet another further interesting feature. The ring-ditch measures 12 metres in diameter and has a flat cut bottom. Within the ditch a narrow encircling wall of natural flints has been found. To date, numerous searches for a comparable monument have yet to be found! The recently discovered Bronze Age cemetery site 15 km (10 miles) northeast of our site at Ringlemere, Kent, represents one of few sites in East Kent to boast more than three or four barrows. Here Clifford Bradshaw whilst using a metal detector found the find of European importance during 2002. The Ringlemere Gold Cup is only one of three comparable types to be discovered in Western Europe. This magnificent find was subsequently purchased from the finder for £270, 00 by the British Museum. Five years of excavations by Keith Parfitt and funded by the UK lottery Commission, The British Museum, Canterbury Archaeological Trust and other sources. Further studies at this site are currently underway.

During the course of excavations both at Ringlemere and our site, many inhumation burials have been encountered having been originally inserted into the sides of these former mounds. These Anglo-Saxon interments dating between 500-600 AD are well attested too on barrow sites throughout Kent. The nature of this customary practice is believed to be a way of associating themselves with their ancestors. In particular, the most prominent of the mounds seen on the skyline on the ridge, was excavated and found to be a natural feature in the landscape. During our excavations no evidence for a ring-ditch was found however, Anglo-Saxon burials GR03, GR04, GR05 and GR06 were located. As with our initial hypothesis, these burials suggest the Anglo-Saxons also mistook this mound to be that of an ancient barrow 1400 years earlier. Of the interments established, only three were excavated with the fourth being deemed at a suitable depth as to avoid future ploughing. All four burials were found to be slightly offset in a row aligned NNE-SSW with the burials themselves aligned east west. Our geophysical survey has identified numerous low resistance signatures, which probably mark many more inhumation burials together with other unknown features.

HISTORY

The Angle, Saxon and Jute tribes, who invaded Britain in the fifth and sixth centuries AD, are known as the Anglo-Saxons. The Anglo-Saxons took control of most of England, but never conquered Scotland, Wales or Cornwall. England was divided into five Kingdoms. By around 600 AD these five main Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms were Northumberland, Mercia, Wessex, Anglia and Kent. These tribes brought with them the beginnings of the English language. Their rule came to an abrupt end with the Norman invasion of Britain after the decisive battle of Hastings in 1066.

Settlement.

We know very little of the first several hundred years of the Anglo-Saxons, or “English”, era, primarily because the invaders were an illiterate people. Our earliest records of them are little more than highly inventive lists of rulers. We know that they established separate Kingdoms, the Saxons settling in the south and west, the angles in the east and north, and the Jutes on the Isle of Wight and mainland opposite. They probably thought of themselves as separate people, but they shared a common language and similar customs.

Our attention is currently focused on delimiting the primary tumulus ring-ditch located at the head of this unusual set of barrows. Although sub-circular mounds with irregular or straight sides are known, whether this signifies the external influence of continental tribes that settled here, is yet to be established. The barrows on this site may turnout to form a complex and perhaps unique chain of interlinked monuments. Whether linked or separately constructed, these unusually shaped barrows would have been highly visible on the skyline from a considerable distance. By 600 AD, the tumuli must still have been prominent in the landscape to have attracted the Anglo-Saxons whom subsequently, reused the barrows to bury their dead.

Boundary ditch

Of the many anomalies picked-up by our geophysical survey, a small ditch of unknown origin has now been traced. This boundary ditch measuring between 29-48cm deep and 24-60cm in breath was found to have a cut flat bottom. Sectioned at intervals, this feature follows an irregular traverse towards Oakwood for 54 metres before, exiting outside of the excavations into the wood. In trench 119, 2 metres from the wood boundary fence the ditch cut becomes substantially wider and deeper. The evidence suggests that in this particular area, the original true dimensions of this ditch are exhibited having escaped previous plough damage.

The wood and summit area above the site

Several interesting observation have been made in this wood above the site. Just a few metres in from the boundary fence, evidence for a former and probable ancient track has been located. This curious trackway is thought to be far too narrow to have been used over the past 2,000 years. Moreover, the same width of Celtic chariot tracks can be seen at Bigbury Iron Age hill fort just outside Canterbury Kent. This fort was besieged and taken by Julius Caesar during his campaign of 55BC in Britain. The track in this wood has a number of similarities to those at Bigbury and will need to be investigated. Some distance into the wood, more evidence for potentially better-preserved tumuli and the probable uppermost boundary to the cemetery can be observed. The boundary ditch which leads into this area, may suggest a location for post early Anglo-Saxon occupation. Beyond the wood lies and extensive area of flat fields currently under cultivation, here too we would expect Some kind of land use during the Bronze Age, Iron Age and Roman periods.

SUMMARY

The project setout to prove at least one tumulus existed on this lowland ridge and discovered many more archaeological anomalies and features. At this present time, our finds assemblage is insufficient insomuch as to provide certain datable evidence for the tumuli although; one sherd of grove ware rim was recovered in mound II lower chalk-wash fill. Based on this find a provisional sequence for the development of this barrow cemetery may be tentatively put forward as around 1800-1500 BC, but only further context finds will confirm this. Other finds include napped waste flakes and scrapper tool dating to the Mesolithic period (10,000-4,000 BC) where recovered. Excavations due to start on the primary mound nearest the wood and summit, will hopefully provide us with clear information as to the type of monument and date. Whatever the variations, the principles remain the same: a magic circle that is given concrete expression by a ditch, a bank and surrounding stones or wooden stakes must surround burials. Certainly, these burial mounds and ditches would have taken thousands of blows with antler picks, thousands of shovelfuls of earth, using a cow’s shoulder blade, and thousands of linen bags or wicker baskets to be filled and transported to make these imposing mounds.

Unfortunately, the full extent of the local context and surrounding hinterland may not be examined due to the author’s personal limited budget. Unlike the extensive budget allocated to the excavations at Ringlemere, our site will require outside funding if our initial exploratory excavation begun in March 2007, are to continue. Substantial funding is currently being sort so that our investigation can continue for around a further one to two years however; our initial objectives will be shortly met. The site is only accessible in the winter with 4x4 vehicles

Vince Burrows
Director of geophysics and excavations

References

Parfitt,K., “Excavations at Ringlemere Farm Woodnesborough” 2002-2006. Archaeologia Cantiana, CXXVII.39-55.
Needham, S.P., 2000, Parfitt, K. and Varndell, G. (eds), 2006. “The Ringlemere Cup: Precious Cups and the beginning of the Channel Bronze Age (British Museum Research Publication 163, British Museum Press.
Richardson, A., Kent County Council Heritage Department.
Halliwell, G., Dover Archaeological Group.
Hutchings, P., “Ritual and Riverside Settlement: A multi period site at Princes Road Dartford”, 2003, Archaeologia Cantiana, CXXIII. 41-79.
Needham, S., 1996 “Chronology and periodisation in the British Bronze Age”, in Absolute Chronology (ed. K. Randsborg), Acta Archaeologica 67, 121.