The medieval features on Thanet Earth dated to between the mid-eleventh century to the early part of the fourteenth (possibly extending to AD 1350). The activity is primarily agricultural in nature with significant elements of domestic occupation. A site wide system of enclosures appears to be intimately related to various trackways across the site. The activity around these enclosures has been grouped into a number of Medieval ‘sites’.

Site 20 was fairly unique, comprising an isolated enclosure set some distance from Trackway 30, but roughly parallel to it. The enclosure was probably placed early in the middle phase of Medieval activity at the Thanet Earth site although there was not much dating evidence and some of the pottery was of the late eleventh/twelfth century, suggesting an origin no later than about AD 1200. The sub-rectangular Enclosure 59, defined by a ditch was aligned north-east/south-west and measured about 39m long by 26m wide internally. An entrance 2m wide, indicated by a break in the ditch, was located 9m along the southern side from the south-west corner. Internally there were no discernible features apart from a dividing ditch, and with the paucity of domestic rubbish or any other evidence for occupation this suggests a stock enclosure or storage area was its prime function. The enclosure appeared to be contemporary with a large quarry, partially revealed to the south. A secondary phase of activity saw the construction of a single Type 1 sunken-featured building (SFB 66) which contained an oven in its south west corner, and, cut into the enclosure ditch and an adjacent, much larger possible sunken structure set into the side of the still open quarry (SFB 65). The exact function of the latter is uncertain, but crop-processing of some form seems possible. The site can be closely compared with the final arrangement of Site 15 to the north-east, its enclosures about the same size and with a single Type 1 sunken structure. (1) (information summarised from source)

A 39.3m long length of ditch forming part of the western side of the enclosure described by authority (1) was visible as an cropmark in NMR 2639/3173 01-AUG-1985. The quarry feature and SFB to the south side of the enclosure were also visible as a cropmark in Next Perspectives APGB Imagery 14-AUG-2003. These features were 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> Historic England Archive, 1920-2024, Historic England Archive Specialist oblique aerial photographs, NMR 2639/3173 01-AUG-1985 (Archive). SKE57106.

<3> Next Perspectives, 2003-2021, Next Perspectives APGB orthophotography, Next Perspectives APGB Imagery 14-AUG-2003 (Archive). SKE57110.