Monument record TR 34 SE 411 - Bronze Age Barrow with Secondary Burials and Anglo-Saxon Cemetery, Bay Hill, St Margaret's-at-Cliffe

A round barrow at Bay Hill, St Margaret's at Cliffe, produced six secondary Anglo-Saxon burials in graves (the age is presumptive only, based on anthropological evidence) when it was levelled during the making of a tennis court in Sir J Forbes-Robertson's garden in 1920. [This is probably the last of a group - see TR 34 SE 6]. The barrow has been completely levelled except for the N quadrant which rises to a height of 0.7m, but this may be partially modern build-up, the result of excavation. The house, Eden Roc, is now standing empty, and no further information was obtained there. When a neighbouring house was built in 1957, the south-western half of the barrow was levelled off during the laying out of a garden, but no finds were made. Published 1:2500 survey revised. The graves were found two feet below the surface, side by side in two parallel rows with three graves in each, heads west. Near by at a depth of six to seven feet was a skeleton in a sitting position. There were no associated objects. The assignation of the extended burials to the Anglo-Saxon period is based on skull shape and the known Anglo-Saxon predilection for burial in already existing barrows. (1-3)

1920: 6 graves uncovered by tennis court construction. Graves found 60cm below surface, side by side in 2 parallel rows of 3 W-E orientated graves. No associated objects.
C.1930: Anglo-Saxon burial with an iron spearhead and glass beads found whilst digging foundations for a house called 'Ballygange' (now 'Wave Hill').
1943: Crouched woman burial, 18-22 yrs old, found; it is probably prehistoric. No barrows seen during fieldwork.
Pre-1960 An iron knife and 3 shield-bosses were acquired by Dover Museum. Nothing more is known about their provenance.
1963-4: An inhumation was found in the garden of 'Shelbourne'; grave-goods included an iron spearhead, but the finds are now lost.
2003-4: Canterbury Archaeological Trust excavation at 'Eden Roc' revealed eight Anglo-Saxon inhumations arranged over a Bronze Age barrow, of which six were excavated. Two of the Anglo-Saxon burials had pennanular ditches. The only grave goods were iron knives, a fragment of an iron pin and an iron buckle. One burial had been interred in a coffin. These finds suggest that several clusters of Anglo-Saxon burials were arranged along the downland coastal ridge south of the present village. Richardson suggests they are primarily of 7th-8th C date. (4-5)

[TR 36414449] Tumulus [GT] (remains of) A round barrow at Bay Hill, St Margaret's at Cliffe, produced six secondary Anglo-Saxon burials in graves (the age is presumptive only, based on anthropological evidence) when it was levelled during the making of a tennis court in Sir J Forbes-Robertson's garden in 1920. [This is probably the last of a group - see TR 34 SE 6]. The barrow has been completely levelled except for the N quadrant which rises to a height of 0.7m, but this may be partially modern build-up, the result of excavation. The house, Eden Roc, is now standing empty, and no further information was obtained there. When a neighbouring house was built in 1957, the south-western half of the barrow was levelled off during the laying out of a garden, but no finds were made. Published 1:2500 survey revised. Near by at a depth of six to seven feet was a skeleton in a sitting position. There were no associated objects. Listing of the Tumulus. (1)

See also TR 34 SE 6 (Bronze Age barrow complex to South West of this site)

In 2003 an evaluation by the Canterbury Archaeological Trust found three probable Anglo-Saxon graves and an earlier ditch that was probably related to the round barrow (7)

In 2004 Canterbury Archaeological Trust carried out an excavation on the site ahead of the construction of a new house over the area of the barrow. Almost all of the eastern half of the barrow was exposed and it was found to be unbroken by any entrance or causeway. It enclosed a circular area c. 22m in diameter. The ditch itself had been between 1.05m and 1.7m wide, 'U' shaped in profile and between 0.72m and 1.15m deep. The base of the ditch was filled with a loose chalk rubble, over which finer chalky silts had been deposited and over these in turn was a brown loam in the top of the ditch (only surviving in some portions of the circuit). This uppermost layer produced a significant quantity of struck flint and some prehistoric pottery. Three contracted later burials had been inserted into the ring ditch and a further three were located east of the barrow. One burial was accompanied by a broken chipped flint axe. The site was evidently the focus of activity (flint working and burial) later in the Bronze Age or possibly in the Iron Age. (6-8, 12)

The excavations carried out at the site in 2004 revealed almost half the circuit of a substantial ring-ditch enclosing the site of the previously destroyed round barrow. Finds recovered from the ring ditch included 647 struck flakes weighing 46.27kg, 24 pieces of fire fractured flint, pieces of prehistoric pottery, a small quantity of animal remains, and a fragment of saddle quern.
Fourteen graves were identified during the excavations, six prehistoric, and eight Anglo-Saxon (two of which were not excavated). These included six contracted inhumations were identified, three cut into the filling of the ditch and three placed immediately outside it. These were assumed to be of prehistoric, probably Bronze Age, date. "All the presumed prehistoric graves occurred as satellite or secondary burials, placed either within the filling of the barrow ring-ditch, or just outside it. Their close proximity and similar head directions could suggest that Graves 10
and 14, and Graves 12 and 13 represent paired individuals. Adjacent Graves 12 and 13, both cut into the upper filling of the ditch, might constitute a parent and child combination, whilst Graves 10 and 14, located about 4 metres further north-east, could also have been related or connected in some way. Grave 14 was of particular interest because of its contracted prone posture. The remaining two burials (Graves 9 and 11) lay further north and east, outside the barrow ditch, and about 8 metres apart. These are too far apart to suggest any direct relationship but it is of interest to note that both were characterised by being placed in small, shallow pits, extremely tightly contracted, implying that they must have been originally tied or trussed when buried" (from the original report, 12).
Another six graves contained extended inhumations of the Anglo-Saxon period and demonstrated that the prehistoric monument had subsequently served as a focus for later burials. All fo the graves were aligned east to west and four contained characteristic Anglo-Saxon knives. Other artefacts recovered included an iron pin fragment and an iron buckle. At least two of the Anglo-Saxon graves seem to have been once covered by their own small barrow mounds, as recorded by eighteenth century antiquaries.
Other features identified include a post-Saxon straight ditch which may have acted as a boundary feature, and an possible Saxon post-hole which may have been associated with one of the graves (summarised from the original report, 12).

In June 2014 Canterbury Archaeological Trust conducted ahead of the construction of a proposed new dwelling revealed more of the barrow's ring ditch to the west of the original excavation as well as a recut feature with prehistoric placed deposits inside and Anglo-Saxon graves (presumed to be part of the Anglo-Saxon cemetery (see above) revealed at the site in the 2004 excavations (EKE11999)). (9)

A further intermittent watching brief carried out in 2015 and 2016 found no new graves but did find a pit. No dating evidence was found but the features was interpreted as of probable prehistoric date (11)

<1> DA Index 76 (OGS Crawford) (OS Card Reference). SKE39571.

<2> Audrey Meaney, 1964, Gazetteer of Early Anglo Saxon Burial Sites (Monograph). SKE32125.

<3> VCH 1 1908 331-332 (OS Card Reference). SKE50791.

<4> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 2004, Interim Report on Excavations at 'Eden Roc', Bay Hill, St Margaret's-at-Cliffe, 2004 (Unpublished document). SKE17616.

<5> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 2004, Assessment of Excavations at ‘Eden Roc’, Bay Hill, St Margaret’s at Cliffe, 2004 (Unpublished document). SKE18183.

<6> Field report for monument TR 34 SE 2 - May, 1964 (Bibliographic reference). SKE5941.

<7> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 2004, Interim Report on Excavations at 'Eden Roc', Bay Hill, St Margaret's-at-Cliffe, 2004 (Unpublished document). SKE17616.

<8> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 2004, Assessment of Excavations at ‘Eden Roc’, Bay Hill, St Margaret’s at Cliffe, 2004 (Unpublished document). SKE18183.

<9> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 2014, Interim Report: Excavations at Bay Hill House, 2014 (Unpublished document). SKE31312.

<10> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 2003, Eden Roc, Bay Hill, St Margaret’s at Cliffe, Archaeological Evaluation Report (Unpublished document). SKE51779.

<11> Canterbury Archaeological Trust Ltd, 2016, Bay Hill House, St Margaret's at Cliffe, Excavation report (Unpublished document). SKE53372.

<12> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 2004, Eden Roc Bay Hill St Margaret’s at Cliffe Archaeological Excavation, Assessment Report (Unpublished document). SKE57619.