Monument record TR 34 NW 187 - White Caps Barrow

Summary

A subcircular earthwork consisting of a primary segmented ring-ditch and two later continuous concentrically arranged ring-ditches. The earthwork appeared to have developed in four distinct phases (three involving structural modifications, one comprising a phase of structural disintegration) and contained a minimum of eleven human burials including six in situ crouched inhumations and three cremations, one of which was urned. Five of the crouched inhumations were of juveniles. The apparently protracted first use of a barrow as a burial place exclusively for children is extremely rare An intact and insitu cremation vessel was recovered as were the sherds of an almost complete small ceramic cup The fragments of the cup had been deliberately re-buried along with a child's skull following the reuse of the grave for a later inhumation.. Substantial quantities of residual purposely struck flints and finished implements were recovered from the secondary and upper ring-ditch fills, as were moderate quantities of similarly residual ceramic sherds and animal bones, mostly of cattle. The barrow was cut by a Late Iron Age straight flat bottomed ditch (TR 34 NW 242) on a northeast-southwest alignment. It may suggest that the barrow still represented a conspicuous landmark when the ditch was cut.

Location

Grid reference TR 3003 4766 (point) FCE
Map sheet TR34NW
County KENT
District DOVER, KENT
Civil Parish SUTTON, DOVER, KENT

Map

Type and Period (2)

Full Description

<1> AP's NMR 283 (OS Card Reference). SKE34321.

<2> K A R U Record Card DV 453 (OS Card Reference). SKE45199.

<3> Cross, R. P., 1991, A256 Whitfield to Eastry Improvement Road: Initial Archaeological Field Survey, A256 Whitfield to Eastry Improvement rd, Inital arch. field survey. CAT, 1991. (Unpublished document). SKE11866.

<4> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 1995, White Caps Barrow (Site 3) Assessment (Unpublished document). SKE7101.

Sources/Archives (4)

  • <1> OS Card Reference: AP's NMR 283.
  • <2> OS Card Reference: K A R U Record Card DV 453.
  • <3>XY Unpublished document: Cross, R. P.. 1991. A256 Whitfield to Eastry Improvement Road: Initial Archaeological Field Survey. A256 Whitfield to Eastry Improvement rd, Inital arch. field survey. CAT, 1991.. [Mapped feature: #54538 cropmark, ]
  • <4> Unpublished document: Canterbury Archaeological Trust. 1995. White Caps Barrow (Site 3) Assessment.

Finds (10)

Protected Status/Designation

Related Monuments/Buildings (0)

Related Events/Activities (3)

  • Non-Intrusive Event: A256 Whitfield to Eastry Improvement Road Initial Archaeological Field Survey (EKE8109)
  • Intrusive Event: Assessment of excavations at White Caps Barrow (Site 3) (EKE5237)
  • Non-Intrusive Event: Evaluation of A256 Whitfield to Eastry Improvement Road, Dover (EKE6073)

Record last edited

Mar 7 2023 1:11PM