Monument record TQ 96 SW 1255 - Middle Bronze Age (Deverel-Rimbury) farmstead, Panteney Lane, Bapchild

From the report: "the archaeological excavations carried out in April/May 2011 have confirmed the
presence of a Middle Bronze Age (Deverel-Rimbury) farmstead. Features include interrupted
parallel ditches or droveways set out at right-angles, coupled with enclosure ditches and features
that can be attributed with elements of animal husbandry. Such features would typically comprise
collection pens and a funnel (or ‘crush’) giving way to a herding ‘race’, used for the droving,
batching and sorting of the livestock. Evidence for drafting gates, such as the ‘three way drafting
gate system’ as suggested by Pryor (1998) also appeared to be represented on site."

"The presence of enclosure ditches (Linears A, B, C, D,) would suggest that domestic occupation may have occurred (and may still survive) within areas to the immediate west of the site, while the presence of barrows on the high ground of the North downs (GoogleEarth/Swale Survey) suggest that the areas for the dead, or ancestors, would have been to the south on the higher (more visible) areas of the landscape."

"Occupation on this scale is rare within this area of Swale, with limited results obtained from
Kemsley and Sheppey. Close parallels for feature patterns can also be recognised across Kent,
particularly with the later Bronze Age site excavated by Oxford Archaeological Unit at Coldharbour
Road, Gravesend (Mudd 1994), and excavation of the Loop at Manston Airport by SWAT
Archaeology, although care should be exercised when comparing sites at opposite ends of the
county." (1)

<1> Swale and Thames Archaeological Survey Company, 2011, Archaeological excavation on land off Panteney Lane, Bapchild, Kent (Unpublished document). SKE31805.