Excavations at Bredhurst 1964
One of the areas that the present writer studies as and when time allows is the village of Bredhurst (Church NGR: TQ 7990 6215).
In 1964, archaeological excavations were undertaken within coppice woodland to the south-east of the church by an L.A. Griffiths (Archaeologia Cantiana Vol. lxx 1965, p.272). The foundations of a structure 18 ft. by 15 ft. were uncovered. This 'tiled building' (presumably referring to roofing tile debris) was situated at the end of a north-south wall 45 ft. in length; late fourteenth to early fifteenth-century pottery sherds were recovered from the area of the structure. Earlier pottery of c.1300 was recovered from a rubbish pit. Further foundations were revealed in an adjacent field by ploughing late in the summer, whilst forty years earlier, in 1921, on the creation of the 'new cemetery' to the south of the church, a structure of 'substantial proportions' was uncovered.
The site was believed to be associated with the manor house and mill recorded in c.1300 and 1319 (Medieval Archaeology Vol. ix 1965, p.202). The village center today is situated about 250 yards to the west of the church on the Rainham to Maidstone road. It is possible that the church and manor always stood apart from the village. If this supposition is correct, this suggests that the church, rather than serving the parish, was at one time (11th century?) the private chapel of the lord. Alternatively, the village could have shrunk in the late medieval period. Village shift from the church area to the road, whilst not impossible, seems unlikely, for a community tends to concentrate on the main thoroughfare rather than isolate itself.
The five-line Medieval Archaeology article ends with 'Work continues'. As far as the present writer is able to ascertain, no further publication of findings was ever undertaken. If any (written, oral, or photographic) reminiscences of the excavations or details of publications are known by readers of this note, hopefully, they could forward the information to the writer, do History Dept. Christ Church College, Canterbury.
Alan Ward