A team from the Kent Archaeological Society is celebrating several successful finds at Lees Court Estate, Faversham, which provide clear proof of prehistoric life at what is now believed to be one of the country’s largest community excavation projects.
Work started at Stringmans Farm, Lees Court Estate – an 800-year-old estate owned by The Countess Sondes – several years ago. The most recent excavations have been on three adjacent sites, which have been under scrutiny by a team of volunteers from Kent Archaeological Society (supported by students) since Easter.
Two of the sites lie on arable land, with a further area under investigation sandwiched between these in a woodland area.
Experts at the Archaeological Society identified each of the three expanses to be the remains of a burial monument or ceremonial centre, dating back to the Neolithic or Bronze Age period, as far back as between 3,000 and 1,500 BC.
The team unearthed a selection of items dating back to this period, including:
- Waste flint chippings which represent the leftovers from making stone tools
- Fragments of rare, decorated pottery created 3,000 years before the Romans came to Kent
- Evidence of human prehistoric cremations
After these exciting discoveries in the field, members of Kent Archaeological will now spend months further researching the finds and reviewing the information recovered to fully understand their significance.
Richard Taylor, general manager at the Kent Archaeological Society, said: “Our work at Stringmans Field represents a major contribution to prehistoric research in Kent, providing a fascinating insight into life over 5,000 years ago!
“Kent is England’s oldest county, and is home to more castles and historic houses than any other region, but the information we’ve gleaned to date precedes any castle or house and will help us further unravel details relating to a far earlier era.
“We are looking forward to sharing our research findings with other archaeological bodies and the wider community in the near future.”
