Bronze Age - early Iron Age features were excavated at Cockering Farm, Canterbury in 2021. The features at the site comprised a Bronze Age pond barrow, a round-house, enclosure ditches, a burnt flint trough, post-holes, a boundary ditch, a pond, pits, ditches, and linear features.

The initial evaluation identified earlier Neolithic activity is present at the site in the form of finds and features (TR 15 NW 2620), and mid-late Bronze Age activity is followed by Iron Age activity in the form of finds and features (TR 15 NW 2622).
The finds included mid-late Bronze Age pottery which were associated with possible Bronze Age features including a ditch (2.75m in width) and pits (one of which measured 1.66m in width).
Finds recovered from the features included charred cereal grain, charcoal, and mid-late Bronze Age pottery. (1)

A strip, map and sample excavation at the site revealed evidence for a large number of features associated with Bronze Age and early Iron Age occupation at the site, the most significant features including a probable pond barrow and round-house.

The excavation of the potential pond barrow suggested that the feature was associated with 6 sub-phases of activity including construction, use, and abandonment. The barrow comprised an oval hollow measuring 7.01x5.13x0.48-0.70m. The first phase of use of the monument appears to be represented by 6 pits, a linear feature (0.96x0.32x0.14m), 9 post-holes, and 8 stake holes cut into the hollow. Later phases included deposits of accumulated soil, a metalled surface/gravel floor, and several sucessive backfills.
Finds associated with the feature included prehistoric worked flint, charcoal, Bronze Age - early Iron Age pottery, heat-affected flint, daub, a possible ceramic loom weight, hazelnut shell, barley grain, emmer/spelt grain. The feature is especially significant as the majority of radiocarbon dates associated with it suggest it was a middle-late Bronze Age monument, whereas pond barrows usually display early-middle Bronze Age dates.

The roundhouse was represented by a group of 29 post-holes and 7 stake holes forming an arc with a diameter of around 6m. The post-holes are suggested to represent an inner ring of load-bearing posts. Intercutting post-holes are suggested to represent possible repair of the building, and a 1.4m wide space between two of the post-holes is thought to indicate the presence of an east-facing entrance. The stake-holes were only present within the fills of post-holes and may represent upright staves used to support the wattle lining between the posts. A possible trampled floor surface also survives within the roundhouse structure. Finds associated with the roundhouse and the features within it include charcoal, daub, late Bronze Age-early Iron Age pottery, and a small quantity of prehistoric worked flint.

A burnt flint trough was excavated at the site; this measured 1.45x2.55x0.14m , and demonstrated evidence for in situ burning. The trough contained 3 stake-holes within it, and finds associated with the feature included burnt and head affected flint, daub, charred plant remains, barley grain, and charcoal. The function of the feature may have been as a trough in which to heat water via the use of hot stones.

The probable pond at the site was represented by a large amphorous feature measuring 9.14x6.78x0.27m. The backfill of the feature included rare charcoal, and late Bronze Age to early Iron Age pottery, alongside 1 piece of worked flint.

There were around 30 pits excavated at the site; these measured between 0.35-3m in length, 0.28-2.46m in width, and 0.07-0.80m in depth. There were around 5-6 ditches (many of which were in multiple segments) including boundary and enclosure ditches excavated at the site; these measured between 4.51-154.5m in length, 0.38-1.31m in width, and 0.21-2.04m in depth. Finds associated with these features included charcoal, pottery, (including a large jar, a carinated bowl, a burnished vessel, a cup, and a large quantity of pottery sherds), daub, burnt flint, prehistoric worked flint, spelt/emmer grain, charred barley grain, fragments of a socketed bronze tool (potentially an axe-head, gouge, or hammer), and a copper alloy pin.

A group of miscellaneous features were also identified at the site, also thought to date to the Bronze Age - early Iron Age period; these included a post-hole, five linear features, two cut features, and two soil layers.

A large number of undated features including hearths, linear features, post-holes, stake-holes, pits, and ditches were also present at the site. (2)

<1> Archaeology South-East, 2021, Archaeological and Geoarchaeological Evaluation Report Cockering Farm, Thanington, Canterbury, Kent (Unpublished document). SKE55574.

<2> Canterbury Archaeological Trust Ltd., 2022, Land at and adjacent to Cockering Farm, Thanington, Canterbury, Kent Archaeological strip, map and sample excavation Post‐excavation assessment (Unpublished document). SKE55719.