Monument record TR 16 NE 1422 - Medieval ditches and a pit, Lower Herne Village, Strode Farm

Medieval ditches and a pit were identified at Lower Herne Village, Strode Farm during an evaluation in 2013.

At least four excavated ditches, and several more unexcavated ditches, were thought to date from the medieval period due to the presence of medieval material such as pottery and ceramic building material within their fills. The features which were excavated measured 0.57-3.06m in width, and 0.14-0.49m in depth. The widest of the ditches is thought to have been established during the Roman period and then reworked during the medieval period. Many of these features are thought to potentially have formed a field system dating to around 1075-1350/75 AD.
Artefacts associated with these features include pottery dating from 1050-1375 AD, ceramic buiding material, oyster shell, and plant remains (emmer, emmer/spelt, hulled barley, and charcoal) recovered through environmental sampling. Two fragments of charcoal were recovered from the fill of one of the ditches at the site; these contained insect boreholes suggesting that rotten wood may have been used as fuel.

A medieval pit was also identified at the site measuring 0.8m in length, 1.4m in width, and 0.21m in depth. This feature contained a fragment of pottery dating to 1150-1250 AD, a possible medieval tile fragment, and a fragment of brick dating to either the medieval or post-medieval period.

The dating of some features is tentative as many were unexcavated, but were also associated with Roman artefacts. (1)

<1> Archaeology South-East, 2021, Archaeological Evaluation Report Land at Lower Herne Village, Strode Farm Lower Herne Road Kent (Unpublished document). SKE58152.