Swanley Heritage No 13 - "Governmental" Administration and Swanley - No 1- Pre-History (Update 1 - 13 December 2011)

In a sense Swanley might have been regarded in earlier times as being without law and administration. This post is somewhat speculative as to what happened!

Pre-history
Early presence of humans in the Swanley Hills is evidenced by the the following "Ages":

Stone Age 500,000 BC to 10,000 BC

• Swanscome female (?) skull (c 300,000 BC, ie before the period in the Ice Age c 200,000 BC to c 60,000BC when it was too cold for survival).
• "Government" is likely to have been by family agreement, tribal custom, and force (in disputes).

Mesolithic Age 10,000 BC to 4,000 BC

• Ice Age cave shelters near the Oldbury Hillfort (in times of receding ice and warming temperatures (10,000 BC);
• "government" is likely to have been by family agreement, tribal custom, and force (in disputes)in hunter/gather circumstances;
• beginnings of agriculture in Kent, eg traces of fields below Trotiscliffe;
• "government" was probably by customary law (remembered and passed on by elders)and is likely to have covered inheritance and for instance field boundary disputes;

New Stone Age 4000 BC to 2000 BC

• megaliths (c 3000 BC), eg Coldrum Stones below the scarp at Trotiscliffe. "Government" of construction likely to have been by one or more of the following: a) slaves, b) followers of spiritual leaders, c) family labour, d) labour levy of those in the tribal group, and e) specialised "builders" of megaliths travelling the land.

Iron Age: c 2000 BC to c 200 AD
Allodial ownership or possession:  It is likely that the land near Swanley was alloidal in Pre-history and to have been largely un-occupied. However, there is some evidence of human settlement during the Iron Age (c. 800 BC to 100 AD). Occupation of land by small family groups or tribal clans is likely to have been alloidal under a leader of the group who from his point of view owned it against allcommers - law would have been customary; the law was built up and remembered as time and generations passed on. The leader would know the law or, perhaps, have had wise persons to advise on it.

The rolling hills around different settlements was probably common lands. The animals may have been "heffered" in the area around the owners' settlements. It is likely that any guard dogs would have been taught to know their owner's land boundaries. No doubt each settlement would have known its common land.

Disputes may have been settled by negotiation or by recourse to determination by the wise: otherwise armed conflict would have been the norm.  The outcomes of "war" are likely to have included one or more of:

• hostage takings;
• forced marriages;
• slavery;
• death; and,
• confiscations of land, chattels and slaves.

As society developed it is probable that strategic marriages became the norm and powerful individuals became tribal leaders. In the times before the Roman invasions many tribes had developed a pattern of tribal areas, eg the Cantii tribe in Kent. They had strong laws governing such matters as:

• settlements and land boundaries;
• inheritance of wealth and lands within the family and or the tribe.

Settlements near Swanley included the Oldbury Hillfort at Ightham. It is probably the nearest to Swanley. The function of hillforts may be varied but are likely to be defensive. Given enough warning of the need, it may have afforded shelter to residents of the Darent Valley in times of conflict. Again it may have been a place with the following functions:

• to meet for trade or barter;
• to celebrate rituals, or
• to settle land and other disputes.

Who knows?