From the Archaeological Assessment report: "Bedgebury Forest and its immediate environs has probably always been 'woodland' or 'wooded land' in the broadest sense of the word. A landscape of woods both enclosed and unenclosed and intimately associated with glades and clearings, fields, settlement, heaths and routweways. The woodland canopy and cover today could be the most dense in all its history.

There is little available information about the area in the prehistoric and Roman period, but it is fairly safe to postulate that it comprised woodland, wooded heath and some open areas, especially along the ridge top.

In the early medieval period Bedgebury was divided between two powerful Royal estates, that of Milton and of Wye and they claimed commons or Lathes extending to what is now the county boundary with Sussex.

By the sixth century these large commons were being divided into swine pastures or dens assigned to specific manors, either the parent manor as for example Wye or sub-ordinate manors such as Boughton Aluph. Bedgebury was a den itself and with Sponlets in the Lathe of Hollingbourne abutted the dens of the Royal Manor and Lathe of Wye. Frith Wood probably lay within the den of Siseley and all indications suggest that is has been continuously wooded ever since. On the other hand Bedgebury Park Wood may have had a more varied landsuse history from the medieval period to the 18th century as wooded heath, enclosures, rabbit warren and parkland, as indicated by place-names, archives and field evidence.

From the latter end of the 18th century tio the present, both Frith Wood and Bedgebury Park Wood have probably had continuous woodland cover in the form of Sweet Chestnut coppice and later conifer plantations. (1)


A detailed survey was carried out of a multi-bank and ditched linear earthwork that runs from the far south-west of the Forest to the far north-east. This is a sinuous earthwork with up to 6 banks and ditches with hollow ways. At least three other hollow ways abut or join this feature. The feature was not excavated and could be of prehistoric, early medieval or later date.(2)

<1> Forestry Commission England, 2008 ?, Archaeological Landscape Assessment of Bedgebury Forest, Goudhurst, Kent, 2006 - 2008 (Unpublished document). SKE15753.

<2> Forestry Commission England, 2008, Linear Earthwork in Bedgebury Forest near Goudhurst: Core Monument Record (Unpublished document). SKE15761.