Post by Clofeshoas on Mar 4, 2012 10:21:38 GMT
Cliffe (sometimes known as Cliffe-at-Hoo) is situated upon a low chalk escarpment overlooking the mouth of the Thames. The Parish of Cliffe its self measures 5.03 miles north to south and 2.86 mile east to west making it one of the largest Parishes in Kent.
For the benefit of the topographical description I feel it’s best to split Cliffe into three parts as there are three distinctly different type of land usage in the Parish. These three areas consist of wet land marshes, arable land and woodland (North to South). As with all historic landscapes it one of the most important factors in trying to build a picture of the history of the area and the cultural interaction with the wider landscape and human eco-dynamics. The topography of any site makes it unique and any evidence should be interpreted based upon its relationship with the area in question. In this case the relationship between Cliffe as a settlement and how the people have taken advantage of the resources in the Parish. This will ultimately lead to a better understanding of the villages place in a regional and national context.
The North Kent Marshes are just one element of the wetlands of the Thames estuary. There is an increasingly large corpus of archaeological work that reflects the richness of the area as a whole. This includes work relating to individual sites (e.g. Meddens 1996), archaeological landscapes (e.g. Fawn etal. 1990), archaeological surveys (e.g. Wilkinson and Murphy 1995), and also a regional framework (Williams and Brown 1999). Evans (1953) was the first to specifically address the North Kent Marshes and he also began to piece together the effect of sea level change on past and present landscapes. Although Evans largely ignores prehistory, he was aware that landscapes belonging to that period are likely to remain buried under later deposits. Unlike other stretches of the Thames estuary such as the Essex coast and the Medway, at Cliffe there are many exposed sections or deposits in which sites can be easily located. Evans documents finds of Roman pottery, tiles, bricks, jewellery, metal work, salt-making evidence, burials and cremations and exploitation of the marshes for stock rearing. Cliffe is noted particularly for a large cemetery and the Cooling Marshes for cremations, kilns and pottery. The potential of the area is also recognized by (Rippon 2000) who suggests salt making and exploitation of the marshes from the Roman period onwards.
Cliffe Marsh is part of a low-lying expanse of coastal grazing marsh on Kent’s northern coast lying within the Greater Thames estuary. The Marsh represents one of many low-lying areas that stretch around the outer estuary from Clacton-on-Sea in Essex to Whitstable in Kent. Other important wetlands in the estuary include the rivers Blackwater and Crouch (Essex) and Medway and Swale (Kent), as well as the tidal floodplain of the inner and outer Thames. Cliffe Marsh is part of a wider interconnected ecosystem which stretches from Gravesend in the west and eastwards to the Hoo peninsula. Evans (1953) divides this area (from west to east) into Shorne, Higham, Redham, Cliffe, Cooling, Halstow and St Mary’s marshes, all of which are separated from the extensive system of the River Medway and the Isle of Grain area to the south of the outcropping clays of the Hoo Peninsular at Hoo Allhallows.
Evans (1953) also mentions potential late Roman and early medieval pottery finds, but also states that the bulk of the early medieval evidence comes from charters. Dating from the 7th century AD onwards, these relate to land grants, some of which (including those at Cooling and Cliffe) can be traced to surviving areas of land. It seems that people in the North Kent Marshes may already have begun to undertake piecemeal reclamation by this time, although Evans suggests that larger scale activity only took place from the 13th century onwards when clay banks were used to enclose areas of grazing marsh that had come under pressure from the rising tide. The phenomenon of ‘wicks’ is also recorded in this area from the Doomsday Book onwards (ibid), although their origins are likely to be in Saxon times. ‘Wicks’ are sheep farms producing milk and cheese with a number recorded in low-lying areas, usually on drained marshes or raised islands. These are common across the wider Thames estuary landscape, at Cliffe and neighboring estates with place name evidence still attesting their presence.
Cooling Castle, which dates from the 11th century, would have dominated the landscape and its importance evident in that a harbor (now silted up or reclaimed) is believed to have existed below it.
The Thames estuary harbors information relating to long-term trends of marine incursion and regression. Changes in sea level dominate the sedimentary sequence at Cliffe and confirm the site as holding key values in regional sea level studies. The formation of the marshlands in the Thames is complex with contributory factors ranging from eustatic change to exposure to the North Sea, its episodic storm surges and tidal variation. The Thames is one of the most widely studied estuaries in England. Research into its quaternary geology has been carried out for over a century (e.g. Spurrell 1889) and its sequences and analytical approaches to their study are continually being refined. The deposits at Cliffe have largely been incorporated into or used in conjunction with sequences elsewhere as part of a wider regional analysis. These include studies into the North Kent Marshes with the Medway area (e.g. Evans 1953) or the estuary as a whole (e.g. Devoy 1980). Devoy (1979) also referred to Cliffe in his comprehensive studies of the sea level change and vegetation history in the Lower Thames Valley. His was the first systematic study of the Thames and he integrated data from the construction sites of the Dartford Tunnel (Long 1995) alongside others to provide a generic Holocene sequence. This work recognized four main marine transgressions interspersed with five periods of regression, against a background of relative rise from -25.5 m O.D at c. 7200 cal BC (measured at the Isle of Grain to the East of Cliffe) to +0.40 m O.D at c. AD cal 300 (in Tilbury docks to the west of Cliffe). Although the background trend was similar, the heights of the index points from the mid estuary were between 1.5 m and 3 m below those of the inner estuary (Long 1995), which he attributed to subsidence and crustal shift within the mid estuary. His work has been continually refined and challenged (e.g. Shennan 1989; Long 1995) and the picture of both crustal movement and sedimentary accumulations, shown to be considerably more complicated, with local and regional factors considerably affecting deposition throughout the estuary. Brigland (1994) and Gibbard (1994) have both published books on the Quaternary history of the Thames, the Quaternary Research Associations Field Guide was published in 1995 (Bridgland et al. 1995) and more recently Haggart (1995) has reassessed Devoy’s sequences and dates from the key sites such as Tilbury docks. Perhaps the most recent work (Siddell et al. 2000) is a comprehensive study of the inner estuary which also continues to break new ground. Of great relevance to management of the cultural resource at Cliffe is research undertaken by Hollis and Thompson and Al-Khudhairy et al. (2001). This involves the monitoring and collection of hydrological data for management, conservation and restoration of the coastal wetland. Such information will be of great value for understanding the Cliffe burial environment, which remains one of the least disturbed stratigraphies in the area, yet one where palaeoenvironmental analyses have barely been undertaken. This potential is twofold; firstly it could provide sedimentary sequences that could help clarify and continue to refine Holocene sea level changes around the inner and outer estuaries; secondly it could elucidate the effects of eustatics movement and subsidence. The key would be to establish Cliffe as a site within the wider regional context, which also may be the key to understanding human development and impact upon these marshes. Sea level change will have continued to influence patterns of human activity and development over the Holocene and will have affected settlement and use of the marshes through time. The Cliffe Marshes remain fully within the remit of the current regional archaeological agenda (Williams and Brown 1999). This recognizes Holocene palaeoenvironments as a key part of the estuary’s resources, as well as identifying a number of broad issues in studying sediments of the region. These include the complexity of the underlying pre-Holocene topography that will have greatly affected transgressive events and subsequent distribution of related deposits. Stratigraphic sequences will thus vary greatly across the North Kent Marshes and beyond.
When looking at past and present land use of estuarine and coastal salt marsh a number of common themes emerge. Such areas tend to have a higher than average bio-productivity (Dinnin and Van de Noort 1999) and human populations are attracted to the abundant natural resources and agricultural and stock rearing potential. In the archaeological record, the strategic siting of settlement often attests to maximizing the availability of these resources whilst prehistoric track ways suggest that access to wetter areas was also provided. Fish traps, duck decoys and oyster pits all provide further evidence of the utilization of salt marsh environments for these abundant resources. Although prehistoric surfaces remain buried beneath later sediments at Cliffe, there are a number of known Roman sites with evidence for settlement, burials, salt making and pottery production. In later historic periods the area was widely utilized as a grazing marsh but with sea level rise, reclamation of the marshes began and evidence remains today in the form of extant sea walls and banks. Unlike much of the Thames estuary where development pressure and rising sea levels have begun to destroy intertidal and coastal areas, Cliffe is largely intact with the evidence for historic land use still clearly visible. Sites relating to maritime history and defense of the realm based on the shore of the Thames also survive and farming is still practiced in the form of arable cultivation.
The lack of research at Cliffe is at odds with the Thames Estuary as a whole. With the existence ofThe Archaeological Research Framework for the Greater Thames Estuary (Williams and Brown 1999) research at Cliffe should become a priority.
At Cliffe Marshes, organic and clastic deposits of high research potential are likely to survive in a good state of preservation. The palaeoenvironmental potential of buried peat has not been fully explored and has potential to inform on sea level change and crustal movement. This work could be expanded to provide a prehistoric context for settlement in the area and provide background information on vegetation change and human interaction with the coastal environment. Research into the hydrological management of wetland deposits by Julian Thompson at UCL has demonstrated the potential of Cliffe Marshes to yield results. The potential for Roman and post Roman palaeoenvironmental evidence may also be good in places where arable farming has not been.
Cliffe Marshes are an area of high archaeological research potential. There is a lack of known prehistoric archaeology but the preservation conditions for such buried archaeological sites and landscapes are good. Other periods are better represented with physical evidence of Roman sites, Saxon charters, extant drainage dykes and sea banks, medieval records documenting grazing practices and rights, and more recent material relating to navigation and defense of the Thames. The potential resource includes organic remains of inter-tidal sites and buried peat, with prehistoric sites and finds on deeply buried land surfaces. The extant historic landscape is one of the best preserved in the region and offers wide ranging research opportunities.
Cliffe and the North Kent Marshes have great research potential in their own right on a site based level but they are intrinsically linked to the wider Thames estuary region. Cliffe is of considerable local importance but as part of the North Kent Marshes it assumes considerable regional importance. This becomes nationally important as part of the Thames Estuary system.
For the benefit of the topographical description I feel it’s best to split Cliffe into three parts as there are three distinctly different type of land usage in the Parish. These three areas consist of wet land marshes, arable land and woodland (North to South). As with all historic landscapes it one of the most important factors in trying to build a picture of the history of the area and the cultural interaction with the wider landscape and human eco-dynamics. The topography of any site makes it unique and any evidence should be interpreted based upon its relationship with the area in question. In this case the relationship between Cliffe as a settlement and how the people have taken advantage of the resources in the Parish. This will ultimately lead to a better understanding of the villages place in a regional and national context.
The North Kent Marshes are just one element of the wetlands of the Thames estuary. There is an increasingly large corpus of archaeological work that reflects the richness of the area as a whole. This includes work relating to individual sites (e.g. Meddens 1996), archaeological landscapes (e.g. Fawn etal. 1990), archaeological surveys (e.g. Wilkinson and Murphy 1995), and also a regional framework (Williams and Brown 1999). Evans (1953) was the first to specifically address the North Kent Marshes and he also began to piece together the effect of sea level change on past and present landscapes. Although Evans largely ignores prehistory, he was aware that landscapes belonging to that period are likely to remain buried under later deposits. Unlike other stretches of the Thames estuary such as the Essex coast and the Medway, at Cliffe there are many exposed sections or deposits in which sites can be easily located. Evans documents finds of Roman pottery, tiles, bricks, jewellery, metal work, salt-making evidence, burials and cremations and exploitation of the marshes for stock rearing. Cliffe is noted particularly for a large cemetery and the Cooling Marshes for cremations, kilns and pottery. The potential of the area is also recognized by (Rippon 2000) who suggests salt making and exploitation of the marshes from the Roman period onwards.
Cliffe Marsh is part of a low-lying expanse of coastal grazing marsh on Kent’s northern coast lying within the Greater Thames estuary. The Marsh represents one of many low-lying areas that stretch around the outer estuary from Clacton-on-Sea in Essex to Whitstable in Kent. Other important wetlands in the estuary include the rivers Blackwater and Crouch (Essex) and Medway and Swale (Kent), as well as the tidal floodplain of the inner and outer Thames. Cliffe Marsh is part of a wider interconnected ecosystem which stretches from Gravesend in the west and eastwards to the Hoo peninsula. Evans (1953) divides this area (from west to east) into Shorne, Higham, Redham, Cliffe, Cooling, Halstow and St Mary’s marshes, all of which are separated from the extensive system of the River Medway and the Isle of Grain area to the south of the outcropping clays of the Hoo Peninsular at Hoo Allhallows.
Evans (1953) also mentions potential late Roman and early medieval pottery finds, but also states that the bulk of the early medieval evidence comes from charters. Dating from the 7th century AD onwards, these relate to land grants, some of which (including those at Cooling and Cliffe) can be traced to surviving areas of land. It seems that people in the North Kent Marshes may already have begun to undertake piecemeal reclamation by this time, although Evans suggests that larger scale activity only took place from the 13th century onwards when clay banks were used to enclose areas of grazing marsh that had come under pressure from the rising tide. The phenomenon of ‘wicks’ is also recorded in this area from the Doomsday Book onwards (ibid), although their origins are likely to be in Saxon times. ‘Wicks’ are sheep farms producing milk and cheese with a number recorded in low-lying areas, usually on drained marshes or raised islands. These are common across the wider Thames estuary landscape, at Cliffe and neighboring estates with place name evidence still attesting their presence.
Cooling Castle, which dates from the 11th century, would have dominated the landscape and its importance evident in that a harbor (now silted up or reclaimed) is believed to have existed below it.
The Thames estuary harbors information relating to long-term trends of marine incursion and regression. Changes in sea level dominate the sedimentary sequence at Cliffe and confirm the site as holding key values in regional sea level studies. The formation of the marshlands in the Thames is complex with contributory factors ranging from eustatic change to exposure to the North Sea, its episodic storm surges and tidal variation. The Thames is one of the most widely studied estuaries in England. Research into its quaternary geology has been carried out for over a century (e.g. Spurrell 1889) and its sequences and analytical approaches to their study are continually being refined. The deposits at Cliffe have largely been incorporated into or used in conjunction with sequences elsewhere as part of a wider regional analysis. These include studies into the North Kent Marshes with the Medway area (e.g. Evans 1953) or the estuary as a whole (e.g. Devoy 1980). Devoy (1979) also referred to Cliffe in his comprehensive studies of the sea level change and vegetation history in the Lower Thames Valley. His was the first systematic study of the Thames and he integrated data from the construction sites of the Dartford Tunnel (Long 1995) alongside others to provide a generic Holocene sequence. This work recognized four main marine transgressions interspersed with five periods of regression, against a background of relative rise from -25.5 m O.D at c. 7200 cal BC (measured at the Isle of Grain to the East of Cliffe) to +0.40 m O.D at c. AD cal 300 (in Tilbury docks to the west of Cliffe). Although the background trend was similar, the heights of the index points from the mid estuary were between 1.5 m and 3 m below those of the inner estuary (Long 1995), which he attributed to subsidence and crustal shift within the mid estuary. His work has been continually refined and challenged (e.g. Shennan 1989; Long 1995) and the picture of both crustal movement and sedimentary accumulations, shown to be considerably more complicated, with local and regional factors considerably affecting deposition throughout the estuary. Brigland (1994) and Gibbard (1994) have both published books on the Quaternary history of the Thames, the Quaternary Research Associations Field Guide was published in 1995 (Bridgland et al. 1995) and more recently Haggart (1995) has reassessed Devoy’s sequences and dates from the key sites such as Tilbury docks. Perhaps the most recent work (Siddell et al. 2000) is a comprehensive study of the inner estuary which also continues to break new ground. Of great relevance to management of the cultural resource at Cliffe is research undertaken by Hollis and Thompson and Al-Khudhairy et al. (2001). This involves the monitoring and collection of hydrological data for management, conservation and restoration of the coastal wetland. Such information will be of great value for understanding the Cliffe burial environment, which remains one of the least disturbed stratigraphies in the area, yet one where palaeoenvironmental analyses have barely been undertaken. This potential is twofold; firstly it could provide sedimentary sequences that could help clarify and continue to refine Holocene sea level changes around the inner and outer estuaries; secondly it could elucidate the effects of eustatics movement and subsidence. The key would be to establish Cliffe as a site within the wider regional context, which also may be the key to understanding human development and impact upon these marshes. Sea level change will have continued to influence patterns of human activity and development over the Holocene and will have affected settlement and use of the marshes through time. The Cliffe Marshes remain fully within the remit of the current regional archaeological agenda (Williams and Brown 1999). This recognizes Holocene palaeoenvironments as a key part of the estuary’s resources, as well as identifying a number of broad issues in studying sediments of the region. These include the complexity of the underlying pre-Holocene topography that will have greatly affected transgressive events and subsequent distribution of related deposits. Stratigraphic sequences will thus vary greatly across the North Kent Marshes and beyond.
When looking at past and present land use of estuarine and coastal salt marsh a number of common themes emerge. Such areas tend to have a higher than average bio-productivity (Dinnin and Van de Noort 1999) and human populations are attracted to the abundant natural resources and agricultural and stock rearing potential. In the archaeological record, the strategic siting of settlement often attests to maximizing the availability of these resources whilst prehistoric track ways suggest that access to wetter areas was also provided. Fish traps, duck decoys and oyster pits all provide further evidence of the utilization of salt marsh environments for these abundant resources. Although prehistoric surfaces remain buried beneath later sediments at Cliffe, there are a number of known Roman sites with evidence for settlement, burials, salt making and pottery production. In later historic periods the area was widely utilized as a grazing marsh but with sea level rise, reclamation of the marshes began and evidence remains today in the form of extant sea walls and banks. Unlike much of the Thames estuary where development pressure and rising sea levels have begun to destroy intertidal and coastal areas, Cliffe is largely intact with the evidence for historic land use still clearly visible. Sites relating to maritime history and defense of the realm based on the shore of the Thames also survive and farming is still practiced in the form of arable cultivation.
The lack of research at Cliffe is at odds with the Thames Estuary as a whole. With the existence ofThe Archaeological Research Framework for the Greater Thames Estuary (Williams and Brown 1999) research at Cliffe should become a priority.
At Cliffe Marshes, organic and clastic deposits of high research potential are likely to survive in a good state of preservation. The palaeoenvironmental potential of buried peat has not been fully explored and has potential to inform on sea level change and crustal movement. This work could be expanded to provide a prehistoric context for settlement in the area and provide background information on vegetation change and human interaction with the coastal environment. Research into the hydrological management of wetland deposits by Julian Thompson at UCL has demonstrated the potential of Cliffe Marshes to yield results. The potential for Roman and post Roman palaeoenvironmental evidence may also be good in places where arable farming has not been.
Cliffe Marshes are an area of high archaeological research potential. There is a lack of known prehistoric archaeology but the preservation conditions for such buried archaeological sites and landscapes are good. Other periods are better represented with physical evidence of Roman sites, Saxon charters, extant drainage dykes and sea banks, medieval records documenting grazing practices and rights, and more recent material relating to navigation and defense of the Thames. The potential resource includes organic remains of inter-tidal sites and buried peat, with prehistoric sites and finds on deeply buried land surfaces. The extant historic landscape is one of the best preserved in the region and offers wide ranging research opportunities.
Cliffe and the North Kent Marshes have great research potential in their own right on a site based level but they are intrinsically linked to the wider Thames estuary region. Cliffe is of considerable local importance but as part of the North Kent Marshes it assumes considerable regional importance. This becomes nationally important as part of the Thames Estuary system.