In 2009/10 Archaeology South-East carried out a programme of works on Kemsley Down and Kemsley Marsh. On Kemsley Marsh a number of pits and ditches or possible palaeochanels were found cutting and overlain by layers of alluvium. These features dated from the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age. An occupation layer was also found, consisting of mottled red and brown silt with frequent charcoal and crushed shell inclusions. The features suggest that the foreshore was being exploited from as early as the Late Neolithic. The evidence of burning and the proximity to the water means that salt production could have been occurring. Waterlogged wood from pit fill was RadioCarbon dated to 2310-2130 BC. (1)

<1> Archaeology South-East, 2011, A Post-Excavation Assessment and Updated Project Design Report: Excavations at Sittingbourne Northern Relief Road, Kemsley, Kent (Unpublished document). SKE17596.