
A Late Bronze Age hoard found at Monkton Court Farm, Thanet
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The finances and government of the city and county of Canterbury in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries
Interim report on work carried out in 1991 by the Canterbury Archaeological Trust
A Late Bronze Age hoard found at Monkton Court Farm, Thanet
A LATE BRONZE AGE HOARD FOUND AT
MONKTON COURT FARM, THANET
D.R.J. PERKINS
INTRODUCTION
In September 1990 a Late Bronze Age bronze hoard was located in a
field at Monkton Court Farm, Monkton, Thanet, the estimated
position of the find-spot being at N.G.R. TR 27735 65540. The area is
downland in arable use. Hereabout the geology is the Head
Brickearth over Upper Chalk, the overburden varying in depth from
0.50 m. to 3.00 m.
This discovery was no accident, but the climax of a protracted
metal detector search by members of the Thanet and Wantsum Relic
Association. In 1981, a T.W.R.A. member found a socketed axe and
several bronze fragments near the spot. These were brought to the
notice of the writer, and were described and illustrated in a watching
brief report with the comment that they might represent part of a
larger hoard.1 Since then, members of T.W.R.A. have often
searched the field without result until September 1990 when a
carefully planned and executed sweep by Mr Cristopher Wren and
Mr Colin Tyman met with success. The writer was called to the site
within minutes of their uncovering the main concentration of bronzes.
Apart from the palstaves found at St. Mildred's Bay2 this appears
to be the first such discovery where archaeologists have been present
to explore and plan a hoard in situ. During nearby trenching for a
water main in 1987, a number of pits and ditches were sectioned,
these yielding Late Bronze Age material. 3 The nature and extent of
1 D.R.J. Perkins, 'The Thanet Gas Pipeline', Arch. Cant., ci (1984), 85, 87.
2 D.R.J. Perkins, 'The Selling to Thanet Trunk Water Main, Phase II', Arch.
Cant., cvii (1989), 267-73.
3 D.R.J. Perkins, 'A Middle Bronze Age Hoard from St. Mildred's Bay', Arch.
Cant., CV (1988), 243-9.
247
D.R.J. PERKINS
the features suggest the presence of an extensive settlement site. At
the time of writing and as a result of these discoveries, an excavation
of the find-spot is being planned in consultation with English
Heritage. This intended rescue activity has some urgency because of
evident plough attrition.
DISCOVERY AND EXCAVATION
An intensive search for the hoard was initiated after the discovery of
a sword blade fragment (see Fig. 3.1, lb and 4) and a socketed axe
(Fig. 3.2, 15). The find-spots of these objects, as also the 1981 finds,
were all west of and in line with the plough marks shown as E in
Fig. 2. They were distributed over a maximum distance of 67 m. from
the hoard, probably as a result of their being lifted and carried by a
potato harvesting machine.
On detection, the first main hoard components were exposed by
spade in an area of about 30 cm. square, their upper surfaces being
about 5 cm. below the interface between subsoil and disturbed
modern topsoil. A theodolite was set up 3 m. from the bronzes. From
the theodolite plummet, a datum line was passed over the finds and
points on this were used to locate a 1 m. square plotting frame. The
theodolite was then employed both to level the plotting frame and to
find the position of the datum by triangulation from nearby fixed
points.
Excavation of the hoard then proceeded, with objects being
plotted as they were exposed. A powerful metal detector was used
to pin-point the bronzes (in one case from 32 cm. above the object)
thus defining the hoard area and saving much time. Small 'security
probe type' detectors were also found useful in indicating the
proximity and size of objects as they were approached vertically by
trowelling.
The relative positioning of the bronzes is illustrated by a plan and
section in Fig. 1. In the plan points A and B on the broken line show
intersects of the datum line with the plotting frame; see also A and B
in Fig. 2. The broken line SS in the section marks the subsoil surface,
and S is the modern land surface. It should be noted that the
brickearth from the subsoil surface down, around and under the
bronzes yielded nothing in the way of pot-sherds, burnt flint, bone,
etc.
The next step was to work out a square of 4 x 4 m. centred on the
hoard; see Fig. 2 plan and section. Topsoil was then removed from
this by hand, finds consisting of a few worn Romano-British potsherds,
and others in post-Tudor fabrics. The surface so exposed was
248
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BRONZE AGE HOARD, THANET
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Fig. 1. Plan and section of the artifacts as excavated.
scored by subsoiler cuts (see E in Fig. 2), and exhibited many nodules
of burnt flint. Pot-sherds in a local Late Bronze Age fabric were
present, as was a large fragment of burnt greensand which appears to
be part of a quern, see 'F'.
Sections were then cut across the square (see Fig. 2, Section C-D)
and the hoard find-spot was expanded and deepened. This demonstrated
that the horizon containing occupation material extended
down for only about 10 cm. Below this was featureless brickearth, of
which a sample was subjected to microscopic examination. The
paucity of molluscan remains in the sample suggested a 'Tundra' soil
that had never formed a temperate climate land surface. During the
widening of the central square, nodules of 'ash-slag' were found, their
position being shown as G in the Fig. 2 plan and section.
249
D.R.J. PERKINS
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