Badlesmere Bottom geophysical survey

By Richard Taylor and Fred Birkbeck

During February 2019, the KAS Survey Team were tasked to carry out a magnetometry survey of Badlesmere Bottom Field, adjacent to St Leonard’s Church, Badlesmere, a part of Lees Court Estate (Fig 1).

As mentioned in Clive Drew’s article, ‘Badlesmere Church – clues to a forgotten landscape?’ (see 107; pp.34-7), we know there has been a church at Badlesmere since Norman times and Hasted visited the area, mentioning changes in crop colours that may indicate the remains of buried structures nearby. The survey aims to enhance knowledge of this potential archaeology and add to the ongoing KAS research of the Lees Court Estate Project.

With this aim in mind, undeterred be variable weather and an abundant bean crop, a regular turnout of volunteers from the Faversham, Maidstone and Shorne Woods Archaeological Groups, students from the University of Kent, North Downs YACs and numerous KAS members worked together to survey approximately 250,000 square metres of agricultural land over three weeks (Fig 2).

The results demonstrate a range of anomalies with the potential for multi-period activity (Fig 3). Once the data was geo-rectified and processed, an analysis of the apparent anomalies was discussed amongst members of discuss how they could take their made into substance, now in a state the Fieldwork Committee, resulting in the following interpretation of potential targets for further investigation (Fig 4, over the page):

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Fig 1: Location of Badlesmere Bottom Field

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Fig 2: Badlesmere Bottom looking east

• Nos 2,3 & 4 are magnetically positive (i.e. trenches or ditches with soil infill) linear anomalies suggesting boundaries or enclosures of an unknown date. It is interesting that they are close to No 24, which we know, from the indentations on the ground surface, is a probable disused chalk quarry. An evaluation trench linking all four anomalies should confirm their purpose/ function and demonstrate any stratigraphic relationship (Fig 5).

• No 14 appears as a circular feature measuring approximately 30 metres diameter that

looks as if cut by Nos 2,3 & 4, suggesting the latter are later in date. Given the Prehistoric circular features discovered in nearby Stringmans Field, it is possible No 14 may be similar.

• Nos 4 & 5, and 6 & 7 are linear pairs that may suggest any number of archaeological features, from Prehistoric to Post-Medieval. Nevertheless, both pairs are significantly wide, measuring 15 to 20 metres apart, and given their probable length of approximately 50 metres; it is thought they may have a Prehistoric origin, perhaps even the remnants of long barrows.

• Finally, Nos 10, 11 & 15 are again magnetically positive anomalies. These are interesting because No 10, a single linear anomaly appears to lead directly toward No 15, a circular feature measuring approximately 20 metres diameter and again, similar to the Prehistoric circular features discovered in nearby Stringmans Field. Both Nos 10 and 15 are bisected by No 11, a further single linear anomaly.

  All excavation opportunities and dates for this next phase will be advertised on the KAS website https://www.kentarchaeology. org.uk/ and posted on the

  KAS Facebook Page @ theKentArchaeologicalSociety1857 shortly.

  Acknowledgements:

  We are indebted to Lady Sondes and Phil Stutt for their patience and permissions to access Baddlesmere Bottom Field. Thank you to Lis Dyson of Kent County

  Council for the loan of an additional magnetometer during the period of the survey, and thank you to all volunteers who worked tirelessly without whom the survey would not have been completed on schedule.

  • Nos 8, 12 and 13 are tantalising as they are closest to St Leonard’s Church and may account for

the changes in crop colours and the remains of buried structures nearby, mentioned by Hasted. Nos 8 & 12 are magnetically positive linear anomalies similar to Nos 2,3 & 4 and have the characteristics of boundaries or enclosures, perhaps surrounding an early building. However, 13 is a circular feature measuring approximately 20 metres diameter that appears attached to No 8. Whether or not No 13 is a further Prehistoric circular feature or something later associated with Nos 8 & 12 will only be solved by an evaluation trench.

At this stage, confirmation of the age or function of any anomalies discussed above is not possible. However, as a general working hypothesis, Badlesmere Bottom Field exhibits the characteristics of a Prehistoric landscape with probable Medieval and Post-Medieval features imposed upon it over time.

The next phase of the investigation will involve excavating evaluation trenches over the targets mentioned above to further enhance our understanding of these anomalies, their potential further study, and the broader contribution to the ongoing KAS research of the Lees Court Estate.

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Fig 3: Raw magnetometry data

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Fig 5: Evaluation Trench

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Fig 4: Magnetometry results with annotated features

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