Monument record TQ 87 NE 1126 - Earthwork remains of a large irregular mound measuring 30m x 50m within Stoke Marshes

Summary

The earthwork remains of a large irregular mound measuring 30m x 50m within Stoke Marshes thought to be a medieval saltern mound. This was mapped from Environment Agency lidar imagery as part of the English Heritage: Hoo Peninsula Landscape Project. These mounds are the result of large-scale salt manufacturing where brine was extracted from salt-rich sands and sediments, concentrated and evaporated using process known as sleeching. The discarded waste material from the process built up around the production area into a sizeable mound, often with a hollow in the centred where a hut stood. These medieval saltern mounds are typically described as floriate in form because of their irregular lobed formation of dumped waste. They often occur in clusters around former and surviving tidal water-courses within the marsh. There has been considerable reclamation and subsequent sea wall construction since the medieval period which has isolated these sites from the sea. Many of these mounds were subsequently utilised as sheepfolds, sheep washes and stock refuges in the post medieval period because of their slightly elevated position in the readily flooded marshes. Roman finds have been extracted from some of these sites, but are believed to be from the lower levels and not associated with the mounds. Post-Roman flooding and silt deposition has resulted in Roman sites lying typically several feet below the current land surface.

Location

Grid reference Centred TQ 8573 7616 (61m by 50m)
Map sheet TQ87NE
County KENT
Civil Parish STOKE, MEDWAY, KENT
Unitary Authority MEDWAY

Map

Type and Period (2)

Full Description

<1> Environment Agency, 2001, LIDAR TQ 8476 Environment Agency D0015778 APR-2001 (Digital archive). SKE55928.

Sources/Archives (1)

  • <1> Digital archive: Environment Agency. 2001. LIDAR TQ 8476 Environment Agency D0015778 APR-2001.

Finds (0)

Protected Status/Designation

  • None recorded

Related Monuments/Buildings (0)

Related Events/Activities (1)

  • Non-Intrusive Event: English Heritage: Hoo Peninsula Landscape Project NMP (EKE20812)

Record last edited

Apr 12 2024 1:41PM