More information : As the result of denudation of a burial
mound of marsh turf, the outline of a collapsed oblong cist of
Kentish ragstone was visible on Higham Marshes. It was
excavated in 1880 by Mr E.L.Arnold and found to contain a
crouched skeleton (very crushed) accompanied by 79 beads which
lay as if they had originally been around the neck. the beads
were Porosphaera globularis (a fossil sponge common in the
Upper Chalk and taking a globular form), ranging from 7 to
26 mm. in diameter and naturally perforated. The mound
stood on a gravelly hillock which probably stood out of the
water when all the surrounding district was swamp(1) (a)
This discovery was probably made in the neighburhood of Hoo
Junction [TQ 698736, but Mr A.L.F.Rivet, A.A.O., believes
Barrow Hill, TQ77SW1 the most likely find - spot]. "In the
absence of evidence, the ragstone cist with its crouched
skeleton, cannot be dated with precision, but on general
grounds the early B.A. may be suggested.... (2)
Beads now in the Geology Dept., British Museum (Natural History)
No E. 1082. (3)
Authority 1 states that the burial mound stood on a gravelly
hillock on Higham marshes. The only feature of this type on the
marshes is Barrow Hill and this bears a distinct excavation
crater on its highest point. Authority 2 gives no reason for
suggesting Hoo Junction (1 mile to the SW) as the probable site
unless it was merely a reference point, or because the other
Bronze Age finds have been made there (See TQ77SW2)
The present location of the beads (Authority 3) was not
confirmed.
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