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Summary

A possible extractive pit of probable medieval to post-medieval date was visible on aerial photographs of the 1940s to 1990s as an earthwork pit on the slopes of Honiton Hill to the south-east of Hale Close Farm, Honiton.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• FIELD BOUNDARY (Post Medieval to XIX - 1540 AD to 1880 AD (Between))
• MARL PIT? (Post Medieval to XIX - 1540 AD to 1840 AD? (Between))
• ORCHARD (Post Medieval to XIX - 1540 AD to 1880 AD (Between))

Full description

Royal Air Force, 1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1974, RAF/CPE/UK/1974 F20 1441-1442 11-APR-1947 (Aerial Photograph). SDV356127.

An oval shaped earthwork pit was visible.

Ordnance Survey, 1993, OS/93256 V, OS/93256 V 23-24 29-JUN-1993 (Aerial Photograph). SDV359505.

An oval shaped earthwork pit was visible.

Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R., 2016-2018, The Blackdown Hills AONB and East Devon River Catchments National Mapping Programme Project (Interpretation). SDV359463.

A possible extractive pit of probable medieval to post-medieval date was clearly visible on aerial photographs of 1947 to 1993 as a large earthwork pit or hollow on the slopes of Honiton Hill, immediately to the south-east of Hale Close Farm, Honiton. The pit does not correspond with any features depicted on the Ordnance Survey 25inch first edition map and might therefore have passed out of use prior to the 1880s-1890s. The pit is also not marked on the Tithe Map for Honiton. It does correspond closely with a plot of land marked on the Tithe Map, listed on the Tithe Apportionments as an Orchard. A section of relict field boundary associated with this enclosure is also visible as a low earthwork bank. A well marked on the Ordnance Survey First Edition 25 inch map circa 60 metres to upslope to the south, corresponding to a spring shown on the current MasterMap base map, might support the interpretation that the hollow was partly a natural erosion feature. However, NMP surveys in Devon have noted that orchards have frequently been located in former quarry earthwork pits, perhaps to provide shelter to the fruit trees. The hollow is therefore interpreted here as a former extractive pit, possible a marl pit.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV356127	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1947. RAF/CPE/UK/1974. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/CPE/UK/1974 F20 1441-1442 11-APR-1947.
SDV359463	Interpretation: Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R.. 2016-2018. The Blackdown Hills AONB and East Devon River Catchments National Mapping Programme Project. Historic England Research Report. Digital.
	Linked documents:2
SDV359505	Aerial Photograph: Ordnance Survey. 1993. OS/93256 V. Ordnance Survey. Photograph (Paper). OS/93256 V 23-24 29-JUN-1993. [Mapped feature: #74125 ]

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV7508 - The Blackdown Hills AONB and East Devon River Catchments National Mapping Programme (NMP) project (Ref: ACD1228)

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