| By Andrew Leaning,
on 15-04-2008 21:36
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Views : 9306  |
There has sadly been relatively little exploration of the archaeology of Romney Marsh but the few explorations that have been carried have revealed that the Marshes have an older record of habitation than many other parts of the UK. Mesolithic eraThere is physical evidence that man was present in the area in the Mesolithic era (8300-5500 BC), when the wetland would have provided rich fish, plant and wildfowl foods for the nomadic people of the time. Axes dating back to approximately 1800-1600 BC found in gravel workings near Lydd show activity continuing into the Bronze-age, with further finds and structures indicating occupation during this time. Habitation around this time was sparse however, and it is likely that Bronze Age activity would have mostly been as a result of traders stopping off on the shingle banks while sailing from Ireland to Europe. The limited habitation continued into the Iron Age (800 BC to AD 42), with small quantities of pottery and other traces found in the interior vicinity of the Marsh. Kingston University, London and Liverpool University Romney Marsh timeline . Roman ActivityIt wasn't until the early Roman times (AD 43-409) when human inhabitation of the Marsh increased. The river ways of the Marsh providing key access routes to the Iron resources further inland while the lagoons and shallow pools protected by coastal shingle banks providing valuable Salt deposits which were exploited by Roman interests in the area. Roman burial remains, pottery, glass and bricks have been found at sites in Lydd and Dymchurch. Liverpool University Romney Marsh timeline. GIS Soil sample analysis has also identified Roman activity, detailed in In Wilcock, J. & K. Lockyear (eds) Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology 1993. BAR International Series 598. Oxford: Tempus Reparatum. pp. 155-160. Roman remains have also been found at Dymchurch, with Samian-ware pottery have been found in the foundations of the Dymchurch Wall. The largest Roman inhabitation being on the hills of West Hythe, where the remains of a Roman port - Port Lemanis - exist. Port Lemainis would have been a substantial port, and defense point, closely allied to the largest Roman port in Southern England - Dover. The remains of Port Lemanis can still be seen and are now called Stutfall Castle, they have however slipped several feet from their original location as a result of landslips. Medieval HabitationIn contrast to the limited archaeological physical evidence, there is considerable documentary evidence providing considerable insight into Medieval life on the Marshes. Alongside recorded documents are also a number of local legends. There is a local legend that there were once two round mounds at Jury's Gap (between Camber and Lydd) which contains the bones of a Danish army that attacked the area, possibly part of the force that landed at Lymne before destroying Appledore and setting up a fort. The exact date of this invasion is open to debate, some sources putting it at 892AD, 893AD or 904AD. Excavations at Lydd quary by Archaeology South-East (ASE), a division of University College London Field Archaeology Unit, have revealed medieval (12th to 16th centuries) dispersed settlement patterns - as opposed to the concentrated settlement around the towns of the Marsh at the time - of over 20 hectares of the Marsh - making it one of the largest areas of Medieval settlement in England. Sites at Caldicott Farm and nearby Denge Marsh have shown similar activity.
There are also numerous lost villages dotted around the Marshes. These were once thriving villages which for various reasons have been abandoned or lost over time. > Read more about Saxon/Norman activity on the Marshes References:
Last update: 13-07-2008 11:08
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Man on the Marsh 
