Romney Marsh is the largest coastal lowland on the south coast of England. Since 1991 excavations in advance of gravel extraction around Lydd on Romney Marsh, have uncovered large areas of medieval landscape, one of the largest to be exposed in southern England. Features uncovered include 12th-13th century drainage ditches, ditched field systems and sea defences. Also of particular significance is the identification of a series of occupation sites and their enclosures. The excavation of dispersed settlements is particularly difficult, because of the scale of work required to produce meaningful results. In this case it has been possible to work on sufficiently large areas to allow significant conclusions to be drawn. The excavations at Lydd Quarry have shown how dispersed settlement existed alongside the nucleated market settlements on Romney Marsh. This extensive report details the archaeological investigations of the field systems and occupation sites, finds and environmental material. There is also a section by Sheila Sweetinburgh on the documentary evidence. Two final chapters set out broader conclusions from the evidence for the field systems, settlements, and economy, and set the area in its wider context. The research has provided an unprecedented opportunity to study reclamation, occupation and economy of a large tract of marginal landscape through a considerable period of time.

• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Summary
• Résumé
• Zusammenfassung
• Table of Figures
• List of Tables
• Colour Figures
• General Introduction
• 1 - The Documentary Sources
  • ABSTRACT
  • INTRODUCTION
  • THE NATURE OF THE EVIDENCE
  • RECLAMATION AND FIELD SYSTEMS
  • SETTLEMENT PATTERN
  • THE LOCAL ECONOMY
  • THE LYDD QUARRY AREA IN 1552
  • Notes
• 2 - The Archaeological Investigations
  • LYDD QUARRY
  • THE DITCH SYSTEM: OVERVIEW
  • SAMPLE EXCAVATIONS AT DERING FARM, LYDD
  • EXCAVATIONS AT CALDICOTT FARM
  • ARCHAEOLOGICAL DISCOVERIES FROM PIONEER PIT AND ALLEN’S BANK
  • DENGE WEST QUARRY
• 3 - The Finds and Environmental Material
  • THE POTTERY by Luke Barber
  • COINS, TOKENS, JETONS AND A COIN WEIGHT by David Rudling
  • THE METALWORK by Luke Barber
  • THE METALLURGICAL REMAINS
  • THE CERAMIC BUILDING MATERIAL by Luke Barber
  • BURNT CLAY by Luke Barber
  • THE CLAY TOBACCO PIPES
  • THE GLASS by Luke Barber
  • THE LEATHER
  • WORKED BONE OR ANTLER
  • GEOLOGICAL MATERIAL
  • THE ANIMAL BONE by Lucy Sibun
  • OTHER VERTEBRATE REMAINS
  • THE INSECT REMAINS
  • THE MARINE MOLLUSCS
  • THE VEGETATION AND ENVIRONMENT OF THE MEDIEVAL AND LATER PERIODS; POLLEN AND WOOD ANALYSIS
  • PLANT MACROFOSSILS
• 4 - Discussion
  • PERIOD 1: THE PIONEER PHASE: ESTABLISHING THE FIELD SYSTEM (UP TO THE EARLY 13TH CENTURY) (*Fig. 28)
  • PERIOD 2: CONSOLIDATION AND SETTLEMENT (EARLY AND MID 13TH CENTURY) (*Fig. 29)
  • PERIOD 3A: START OF THE DECLINE (LATE 13TH TO 14TH CENTURY) (*Fig. 30)
  • PERIOD 3B: CONTINUING DECLINE (15TH TO MID 16TH CENTURY) (*Fig. 30)
  • PERIOD 4: THE POST-MEDIEVAL PERIOD (MID 16TH CENTURY ONWARDS) (*Fig. 31)
• 5 - The Wider Context
  • ARCHAEOLOGY OF LANDSCAPES
  • WETLAND ARCHAEOLOGY AND LYDD
  • MEDIEVAL SETTLEMENT STUDIES AND LYDD
  • THE RESEARCH AGENDA FOR THE FUTURE
• Bibliography
• Index