A substantial Iron Age ditch was uncovered 640m to the south of the Plateau 8 iron age settlement, running across plateaux 4 and 5. It lay on an east west alignment and can be traced for a distance of 356m. The westernmost 79m lay beyond the excavation area but is clearly visible as a cropmark in the adjacent field. Little datable material was recovered with the feature which was remarkably sterile considering its size. A terminal, comprising a large rounded butt-end, was located at the east end of the feature with no continuation recorded beyond this point. The feature had an average width of 4.38m and depth of 1.70m. Based on the depositional pattern of the fills, it seems probable that an associated bank lay to the south of the ditch, with the lower fill deposits formed by erosion of the ditch sides and bank. The upper fill, a substantial deposit of silty clay some 1.1m thick, was very similar to the colluvial soils identified in the upper portions of the nearby barrow ditches. It would seem likely that this material accumulated through similar processes of colluviation at about the same time. This major boundary influenced the development of the subsequent Roman, Saxon and medieval landscapes, a fact confirmed by its part incorporation as a section of the parish boundary between Monkton and St Nicholas-at-Wade. A single sherd of medieval pottery recovered from the uppermost fill was probably introduced when this alignment developed into a medieval trackway. (1) (information summarised from source)

A ditch forming part of a boundary of Iron Age date was visible as a cropmark in Next Perspectives APGB Imagery 14-AUG-2003, HEA 33062/17 24-AUG-2016. Overall the curvilinear ditch measures about 423m long. Parts have been excavated as described by authority (1). This feature was mapped as part of the Historic England Isle of Thanet project in 2024. (2-3)

<1> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 2023, Beneath the Seamark: 6000 Years of an Islands History (Monograph). SKE55405.

<2> Next Perspectives, 2003-2021, Next Perspectives APGB orthophotography, Next Perspectives APGB Imagery 14-AUG-2003 (Archive). SKE57110.

<3> Historic England Archive, 1920-2024, Historic England Archive Specialist oblique aerial photographs, HEA 33062/17 24-AUG-2016 (Archive). SKE57106.