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Wouldham Shoulder of Mutton Wood

In the civil parish of Rochester.
In the historic county of Kent.
Modern Authority of Medway.
1974 county of Kent.
Medieval County of Kent.

OS Map Grid Reference: TQ72706523
Latitude 51.35989° Longitude 0.47914°

Wouldham Shoulder of Mutton Wood has been described as a Timber Castle but is rejected as such.

There are earthwork remains.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

Description

Small mound, suggested as base for Norman lookout tower for Rochester. King writes is most likely a robbed round barrow and rejects as castle. A large mound in a wood called the 'Shoulder of Mutton Shaw' by Pilgrim's Way. Has been variously interpreted as a tumulus, castle and fort . The mound is situated in a prominent in ridge, it measures 24.5 m. in diameter with a maximum height of 2.2 m.. There are faint traces of a ditch and a hollwo in the centre - probable the remains of an old excavation. It is now thought that this is too small for a castle mound and from its general appearance and topographical position there would seem little doubt that it is a bowl barrow. (Kent HER)

Despite evidence of partial excavation, the bell barrow in Shoulder of Mutton Wood survives comparatively well and contains archaeological remains and environmental evidence relating to the monument and the landscape in which it was constructed. The monument includes a bell barrow situated on the crest of a chalk ridge adjacent to the North Downs Way. The barrow has a slightly oval mound 2.2m high, 25m east to west and 23m north to south, with a large central hollow suggesting that it was once partially excavated. Surrounding the mound is a gently sloping platform or berm between 1m and 3m wide. This is most clearly visible to the north where the ground drops away beyond the edge of the berm and to the south where the surrounding quarry ditch survives up to 4m wide and 0.2m deep. The rest of the ditch has become infilled over the years and now survives as a buried feature. (Scheduling Report)
Comments

Jessup suggests this may have been a recorded parish boundary marker in the C15 (it lies very close to the modern parish boundary). This certainly excludes it from being a manorial centre and probably suggests it being a pre-Conquest feature. Nothing about the location or form of this mound suggests a castle.
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Sources of information, references and further reading
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Suggestions for finding online and/or hard copies of bibliographical sources can be seen at this link.
Minor archaeological investigations, such as watching brief reports, and some other 'grey' literature is most likely to be held by H.E.R.s but is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded here, or elsewhere, but some suggestions can be found here.
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This record last updated 26/07/2017 09:19:31

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