Monument record TQ 77 NW 163 - ?Post-medieval stock refuge mound, Cliffe

An assessment of aerial photographs carried out by English Heirtage in 2009-2012 identified a mound of unknown purpose.(1,2)

The earthwork remains of a small oval mound measuring 11m x 19m seen at TQ 7230 7807. This is possibly an example of a 19th century or earlier stock refuge mound constructed on low-lying pasture within the marshlands of the Hoo Peninsula and the margins of the Thames Estuary. These mounds have been referred to and identified in contemporary writings (Spurrell, 1885).
It is possible that this mound may have its origins in the medieval salt extraction process, a number of saltern mounds being found in the area, though these mounds tend to be larger and more irregular in form. This site was mapped from Environment Agency lidar imager as part of the English Heritage: Hoo Peninsula Landscape Project. (3-4)

<1> Historic England, 2012, National Mapping Programme survey: Hoo Peninsula (Digital archive). SKE32442.

<2> English Heritage, 2013, Hoo Peninsula, Kent. Hoo Peninsula Historic Landscape Project (Bibliographic reference). SKE31432.

<3> Environment Agency, 2001, LIDAR TQ 7278 Environment Agency D0015733 APR-2001 (Digital archive). SKE57158.

<4> Spurrell, F. C. J., 1885, Early sites and embankments on the margins of the Thames estuary. (Article in serial). SWX7560.