Monument record TR 26 NE 1402 - Ring ditch 1 - Monkton

During excavations conducted in 1994-5 in advance of dualling work on the A253 the northern portion of a ring ditch was exposed. This feature consisted of a single near circular ring-ditch with an outer diameter of c 18m, approximately a third of which was exposed and fully excavated. The cut had a flat-based and very steep-sided profile with a maximum width of 2.5m at the top and 0.7–1.05m at the base. The depth varied between 0.9 and 1.10m, becoming deeper to the south-east where there were at least two noticeable steps, possibly caused by cleaning of the ditch base during the lifetime of the monument. There were four main phases of infilling. The primary silting 3142 was sealed by a combination of chalk rubble and sediments probably derived from a central mound and the ditch sides respectively. Apart from one animal bone, these levels yielded a small flint assemblage of twenty-three flakes, cores, blades and scrapers. The final fill consisted of a near sterile hillwash. This type of material was present within the upper profile of most of the ring-ditches, both in this area and across the rest of the site. No graves or cremations were found in association with this ring-ditch. However, at three cardinal points of the exposed interior, immediately adjacent to the inner edge of the ditch, there were hollow depressions whose function remains uncertain. These hollows were all of similar shape in plan, irregular ovals measuring between 0.3 and 0.49m wide and up to 0.8m long. All were just under 0.3m deep. The fill of all these features was very similar to the hillwash sediment 3066 and completely sterile.(1-2)

<1> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 1996, Canterbury's Archaeology 1994 - 1995 (Serial). SKE11882.

<2> Trust for Thanet Archaeology, 1993, An Archaeological Evaluation Ahead Of Improvements To The A253, Monkton To Minster (Unpublished document). SKE17233.

<3> Historic England Archive, 1949-1976, Historic England Archive CUCAP oblique aerial photographs, CUCAP CW65 19-JUL-1949 (Archive). SKE57107.