The trend is echoed in Thanet's large number of roundbarrows, a statistic which appears significant not just on a regional but also a national level. An Island-wide average of 9.11 roundbarrows per sq km has recently been estimated (see the Roundbarrows Display in the Bronze Age Gallery). In reality this is likely to be a minimum figure, as many more such monuments will remain undetected or have been destroyed.

The east of Kent seems to have the largest share of the County's Beaker pottery find spots. Len Jay suggested that this may well represent the coastal community of Thanet ‘acquiring power, prestige and Beakers as a result of their activities in the cross-channel exchange networks’ (Jay 1995).

It should be remembered that the Beaker vessels are most likely to have been manufactured locally, but inspired by the forms of the continental pots. Alex Gibson  suggests that, despite their quality, the techniques of their manufacture ‘are well within the capabilities of competent potters’ (Gibson 2002).

If so then perhaps they could have been copied more widely and thus should be more common than they are traditionally held to be.

This certainly appears to be the case in Thanet, for the occurrences of Beaker pots and sherds far exceed the number of other contemporary ceramics which have been recovered so far.

Little Late Neolithic Grooved Ware has been found in Thanet, numbering no more than a handful of small sherds; with a similar amount recorded from Early Bronze Age Urns and Food Vessels.

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To date only three full-sized Early Bronze Age Collared Urns are known to have been recovered; two of these  from excavations at Lord of the Manor. One largely complete vessel was found in 1977 at the LOM III barrow; possibly an adapted Henge monument (Perkins 1989; TSMR 749). Another, more fragmentary Urn was found at LOM VI.

The first Urn to be discovered came from within the inner ditch of a double-ditched roundbarrow that Howard Hurd excavated at Valetta House (now Bradstow School) in 1911 (Hurd 1913; Minter and Herbert 1973).

The rarity of these vessels is probably due to the majority being inserted into the mounds of roundbarrows which have subsequently been ploughed flat.

One miniature Collared Urn has been discovered as a grave-good. This was derived from a roundbarrow discovered opposite the North Foreland Avenue Beaker barrow.

Only one ‘Pygmy Cup’ or Perforated Accessory Vessel has been found; recovered from a burial at Lord of the Manor.

Sherds representing two Food Vessels are known from burials at Lord of the Manor and South Dumpton Down. These represent two thirds of Kent's current total (Gibson in Perkins 2004).

These examples do not include the two pots recovered as grave-goods from the KARU barrow excavations. Their nature is still uncertain, though they are likely to be Early Bronze Age grave-goods.

Our interpretation of burial Beakers as prestigious objects and status-symbols is reinforced by the other high-quality grave-goods which are often associated with Beaker inhumations. These occur in less than half of the Thanet examples. When they do, they are generally rather special or even unique local items.

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Perhaps Beaker burials had less to do with displaying status to the deceased’s contemporaries and more to do with a system of tributes for or to an afterlife.

The trend of a ‘Beaker-led’ refurbishment phase at many (long-abandoned?) Late Neolithic ceremonial sites may hint at a spiritual dimension to their story.