Monument record TR 36 SW 340 - Medieval ditches, pits and features probably related to a nearby farmstead

The majority of the features in Zones 1 and 2 of the excavations associated with the construction of the East Kent Access routeway in Thanet, were medieval, with virtually all assigned a date between the 11th and 14th centuries. Most of them were ditches with a few pits and postholes that probably defined fence lines or other insubstantial structures. The ditches formed part of a series of fields and enclosures of two or more phases, and probably represent part of a farmstead which was located at the southern end of the Ebbsfleet peninsula, with its focus to the east of Zones 1 and 2. The fields and enclosures were most likely associated with animal husbandry, and areas of disturbed natural recorded adjacent to them have been interpreted as animal trample. Phase 1 on the farmstead was represented by at least one small enclosure, which was later replaced in phase two by a more extensive series of larger, sub rectangular enclosures or fields. The area is believed to have been surrounded by water except on its northern side until the Wantsum Channel dried up. (information summarised from source) (1-2)

<1> Oxford Wessex Archaeology Joint Venture, 2011, East Kent Access (Phase II), Thanet, Kent: Post-Excavation Assessment Volume 1 (Unpublished document). SKE29279.

<2> Andrews et al, 2015, Digging The Gateway: Archaeological Landscapes of South Thanet. The Archaeology of East Kent Access (Phase III) Vol 1: The sites (Monograph). SKE55517.