Great Tottington
Encyclopedia
Great Tottington is a moated manor farm near Maidstone
in the English
county of Kent
. It is also the site of a spring
, around which are scattered numerous sarsen
stones which may be the remains of a Neolithic
monument and part of the Medway megaliths
. Further stones lie around the farmyard. Rather than being genuine megalith
s, they may be a recent collection of natural stones brought to the site by eighteenth century farmers clearing the surrounding land. The destruction visited on the megalithic sites of the Medway
valley during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries makes conclusive diagnosis difficult.
.
In 1872 James Fergusson visited the area and noted:
...nearer the village [Aylesford] exists or existed, a line of great stones, extending from a place called Spring Farm, in a north-easterly direction, for a distance of three quarters of a mile, to another spot known as Hale Farm passing through Tollington [sic], where the greater number of the stones are now found. In front of the line near the centre at Tollington lie two obelisks, known to the country people as the coffin stones – probably from their shape. They are 12 feet long by 4 to 6 broad, and about 2 to 3 feet thick. They appear to be partially hewn, or at least shaped, so as to resemble one another.
A footnote records that one stone was almost completely underground, and the other partially buried, and that the dimensions were obtained by probing underground.
Theories that the stones are the remains of a stone circle
or avenue
have been suggested. If the stones are prehistoric however, it is more likely that they were brought from the nearby site of the chambered long barrow
known as the Coffin Stone
.
.
Maidstone
Maidstone is the county town of Kent, England, south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town linking Maidstone to Rochester and the Thames Estuary. Historically, the river was a source and route for much of the town's trade. Maidstone was the centre of the agricultural...
in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
. It is also the site of a spring
Spring (hydrosphere)
A spring—also known as a rising or resurgence—is a component of the hydrosphere. Specifically, it is any natural situation where water flows to the surface of the earth from underground...
, around which are scattered numerous sarsen
Sarsen
Sarsen stones are sandstone blocks found in quantity in the United Kingdom on Salisbury Plain, the Marlborough Downs, in Kent, and in smaller quantities in Berkshire, Essex, Oxfordshire, Dorset and Hampshire...
stones which may be the remains of a Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
monument and part of the Medway megaliths
Medway megaliths
The Medway megaliths or Medway tombs are names given to a group of Neolithic chambered long barrows and other megaliths located in the lower valley of the River Medway in the English county of Kent...
. Further stones lie around the farmyard. Rather than being genuine megalith
Megalith
A megalith is a large stone that has been used to construct a structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. Megalithic describes structures made of such large stones, utilizing an interlocking system without the use of mortar or cement.The word 'megalith' comes from the Ancient...
s, they may be a recent collection of natural stones brought to the site by eighteenth century farmers clearing the surrounding land. The destruction visited on the megalithic sites of the Medway
Medway
Medway is a conurbation and unitary authority in South East England. The Unitary Authority was formed in 1998 when the City of Rochester-upon-Medway amalgamated with Gillingham Borough Council and part of Kent County Council to form Medway Council, a unitary authority independent of Kent County...
valley during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries makes conclusive diagnosis difficult.
.
In 1872 James Fergusson visited the area and noted:
...nearer the village [Aylesford] exists or existed, a line of great stones, extending from a place called Spring Farm, in a north-easterly direction, for a distance of three quarters of a mile, to another spot known as Hale Farm passing through Tollington [sic], where the greater number of the stones are now found. In front of the line near the centre at Tollington lie two obelisks, known to the country people as the coffin stones – probably from their shape. They are 12 feet long by 4 to 6 broad, and about 2 to 3 feet thick. They appear to be partially hewn, or at least shaped, so as to resemble one another.
A footnote records that one stone was almost completely underground, and the other partially buried, and that the dimensions were obtained by probing underground.
Theories that the stones are the remains of a stone circle
Stone circle
A stone circle is a monument of standing stones arranged in a circle. Such monuments have been constructed across the world throughout history for many different reasons....
or avenue
Avenue (archaeology)
British Archaeologists refine the general archaeological use of avenue to denote a long, parallel-sided strip of land, measuring up to about 30m in width, open at either end and with edges marked by stone or timber alignments and/or a low earth bank and ditch...
have been suggested. If the stones are prehistoric however, it is more likely that they were brought from the nearby site of the chambered long barrow
Chambered long barrow
Chambered long barrows are a type of megalithic burial monument found in the British Isles in the Neolithic.Long barrows either contained wooden or stone burial structures beneath the barrow and the surviving megalithic stone in the latter means that they are the ones referred to by archaeologists...
known as the Coffin Stone
Coffin Stone
The Coffin Stone is a large sarsen stone at the foot of Blue Bell Hill near Aylesford in the English county of Kent.The stone is one of the Medway megaliths lying 400 m west of the Countless Stones . It is a rectangular stone lying flat and measuring 4.4 m long and 2.8 m wide...
.
.
External links
- Article from Archaeologia Cantiana on the Tottington stones