2012-45 boughton malherbe hoard excavation report

8/2/2019 2012-45 Boughton Malherbe Hoard Excavation Report

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Portable Antiquities Scheme / Kent County Council

Boughton Malherbe Bronze Age Hoard:

Archaeological Site Report

Boughton Malherbe, Maidstone, KentTQ8847149700

Jennifer JacksonJanuary 2012


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Contents

1. Introduction

2. Site Description3. Methodology4. Results5. Discussion6. Acknowledgements7. References

Figures1. The finders discovery2. HER print out of area3. Site Location

4. Plan 1; Finders cut through Hoard Fill (005)5. Plan 2; Cut of Hoard Pit [006]6. Section 1: North East facing Profile of [006]7. Section 2: South West facing Trench Section8. Photo of Finders excavation9. Photo of Finders excavation cutting through Hoard pit fill10. Photo showing remaining piece of the hoard in situ11. Photo showing cut from Hoards deposition12. Image and catalogue of the Hoard 2011 T46413. Geophysical Survey Results


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1. Introduction

A Large Late Bronze Age Hoard was found at TQ8847149700 by two metal

detectorists on the 6th August 2011. The hoard consists of 352 objects including

axes, blade and spear head fragments as well as 7 complete bun ingot (Figure

12). The hoard is going through the Treasure process at the British Museum

where a report has been written and a Treasure inquest has been held (Treasure

number; 2011 T464). It is hoped that the hoard will be acquired by Maidstone

Museum sometime in 2012.

The finders, Mr Nick Hales and Mr Wayne

Coomber found the hoard while metal

detecting. Mr Hales recounted that he

dug down about 12 inches and found a

large circular ingot acting as a lid. All of

the finds where then found under this lid,

tightly packed into a circular hole. Mr

Hales also noted that the hole was lined

with the remaining 6 bun ingots.

Unfortunately few photographs were

taken during the initial excavation; figure

1 was taken on the finders phone.

Figure 1: The finders discovery

2. Site Description

The site is located near Bought Place, Boughton Malherbe, Kent. The Bronze

Age Hoard was found at National Grid reference TQ8847149700. The site is

currently arable land which had been harvested at the time of the discovery.


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Archaeological background

A Historic Environment Record (HER) search of 500m around the site reveals

one site of note. This was the findspot of 2 polished axes of Neolithic and Bronze

Age data in addition to a collection of barbed and tanged leaf-shaped

arrowheads and scrapers found on surface of Riddings Farm, Lenham, by F.

Weeks Esq in 1931. This collection was presented to Maidstone Museum (Acc.

No. 30/1932). No concentrations were noted at the time but the implements were

found scattered over the whole farm

An inspection of aerial photographs shows some geological features within the

field, but nothing of archaeological interest.

Figure 2: HER Print out of area

Just outside of the 500m area one find has been recorded by the Portable

Antiquities Scheme, KENT-755127. This was a Mesolithic flint arrow head, c

8000 to 4000 BC that was recorded in 2003.
http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/48901http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/48901


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3. MethodologyThe location of the excavation was guided by the finder who had marked the

position of the find with a stake. The backfill from the finders excavation (context

001) was first removed and sieved in order to ensure the entire hoard had been

recovered.

Once the backfill was removed a roughly 2x2 meter trench was opened by hand;

the top soil being initially striped off, exposing the finders hole cut into the

subsoil. A thin spread of the original hoard pit fill was excavated, revealing the

cut for the hoard which was recorded.

The trench and the spoil were searched periodically by metal detectors to

maximise the recovery of finds.

A Dumpy level was used to take levels. The trenches were located after

excavation by a total station, provided by Wessex Archaeology.

The trenches were recorded according to techniques outlined in the

Archaeological Manual(MoLAS, 1994).

A magnetometer survey of the site was carried out two weeks after the

excavation. This was done over a grid of nine 20m squares. The results can be

seen in figure 13.

4. Results

The modern plough soil had a thickness of approx 0.24m and was loose mid -

brown sandy loam. Under this was a layer of orange-brown sandy silt subsoil

with frequent inclusions of large angular stones; this had a thickness of approx

0.09m. The natural was yellow-orange sandy clay with regular stone outcrops.

Two small fragments of copper alloy object were recovered from the finders


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backfill. These were reunited with the hoard and are included in Treasure Report

2011 T464.

The finders excavation was found to have cut through though the topsoil, subsoil

and the majority of the hoard fill leaving a thin layer of the hoard fill at the base

and edges; approximately 0.05-0.08m thick. One small copper alloy object was

found to be sill in situ within this fill (figure 10); this object was also reunited with

the hoard and is included in Treasure Report 2011 T464. This fill was removed

revealing an irregularly shaped circular cut of a pit, the base of which was

approximately 0.42m beneath the modern surface. The pit was cut into the

natural layer.

5. Discussion

From remains of the hoard fill it appears that the hoard was deposited in a sub

circular pit, approximately 0.8m in diameter. This pit was cut into the natural but it

was not possible to ascertain where it was cut from because of the finders

intervention and plough damage across the site. Nor was it possible to gather

any evidence as to whether the hoard had been deposited in one event or over a

period of time.

The geophysical survey results were affected by operator error and it is hoped

they can be repeated in the future. From what was gathered however there is a

suggestion of an oval anomaly and possibly some high temperature activity in the

area immediately next to the site of the hoard. There is also another circle and

some possible ditches visible in the survey area. These can be seen in figure 13.

This raises the possibility that the hoard isnt an isolated deposit but may be in

association with more activity on the site.


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6. Acknowledgements

Thank you to the landowners Mr and Mrs Clark for making the site available for

excavation, and the finders Mr Nick Hales and Wayne Coomber for their

participation and reporting of the hoard. Thanks also go Andrew Mayfield, Ben

Croxford, Matt Butler and Karen Dunford for their hard work during the

excavation. Kindest thanks also go to Wessex Archaeology who surveyed in the

trench free of charge.

7. References

Kent Historic Environment Record

Museum of London, 1994 Archaeological Site Manual 3rd edition

8. Figures:

Figure 3: Site Location (Ordinance Survey, Crown Copyright)


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Figure 4:

Figure 5:


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Figure 6:

Figure 7:

Figure 8: Photo showing cut from finders excavation of the hoard after thebackfill had been removed. Facing north east


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Figure 9 Photo showing cut from finders excavation of the hoard cut [002]through subsoil, facing north east.

Figure 10: Photo showing remaining piece of the hoard in situ, small find number3.


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Figure 11: Photo showing cut from the hoards deposition (006), facing northeast.


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Figure 12: 2011 T464, The Boughton Malherbe Hoard


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Figure 13: Geophysical Survey Results.

2012-45 boughton malherbe hoard excavation report

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