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Summary

The remains of probable post-medieval to 19th century ridges made for fruit tree planting and improved orchard drainage were visible as low, parallel earthwork banks on aerial photographs of the 1940s, on west-facing slopes south of Hedgend Barton, Monkton.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• FIELD BOUNDARY (Early Medieval to XIX - 1066 AD to 1840 AD (Between))
• ORCHARD (Post Medieval to XX - 1540 AD to 1947 AD (Between))

Full description

Devon County Council, 1838-1848, Tithe Maps and Apportionments (Website). SDV349463.

The plot (136) is listed as Great Orchard.

Ordnance Survey, 1880-1899, First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map (Cartographic). SDV336179.

The plot remains depicted as an orchard but has been divided into two, and the southern half is less densely planted. Map object based partly on this source.

Royal Air Force, 1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1974, RAF/CPE/UK/1974 F20 2441-2442 11-APR-1947 (Aerial Photograph). SDV356127.

Linear earthwork banks were visible under light tree cover.

Ordnance Survey, 1982, OS/82218 V, OS/82218 V 1130-1131 28-AUG-1982 (Aerial Photograph). SDV359504.

Linear earthwork banks were clearly visible. Map object based partly on this source.

Next Perspectives, 2014, Aerial Photography for Great Britain (Aerial Photograph). SDV359479.

The orchard banks and field boundary cannot be seen as earthworks.

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

The remains of probable post-medieval to 19th century ridges made for fruit tree planting and improved orchard drainage were visible as low, parallel earthwork banks on aerial photographs of the 1940s, on west-facing slopes south-west of Hedgend Barton, Monkton.
The earthworks correspond to a plot listed as Great Orchard on the Tithe Apportionment for Monkton. The plot remains depicted as an orchard on the Ordnance Survey 25 inch First Edition map, but by this point the plot had been divided into two and the southern half, where the majority of the banks were visible, was depicted as less densely planted. By 1947 the southern plot was almost entirely cleared of planting and the northern plot was only lightly covered with trees. Aerial photographs of 1982 reveal the entire orchard to be cleared of trees. They also make more clearly discernible the low earthwork remains of a roughly NNE-SSW orientated former field boundary centred on circa ST19030256. The curvilinear bank abuts extant boundaries to the south and north, and was probably of medieval origin. The orchard banks fall to the west of this former boundary, which can therefore be interpreted as the former eastern boundary of the orchard, removed at some point prior to the 1840s, facilitating the eastwards expansion of the orchard.
The banks and former field boundary cannot be identified on digital images derived from aerial photographs taken in 2014 and the western orchard boundary has been removed, the southern half of the former orchard subsumed into a larger field to the west. The northern half has been re-enclosed and appears to have been returned to a role as an orchard. It is probable that the subtle orchard bank earthworks have been levelled.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV336179	Cartographic: Ordnance Survey. 1880-1899. First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map. First Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map. Map (Digital).
SDV349463	Website: Devon County Council. 1838-1848. Tithe Maps and Apportionments. http://devon.gov.uk. Website.
SDV356127	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1947. RAF/CPE/UK/1974. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/CPE/UK/1974 F20 2441-2442 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
SDV359479	Aerial Photograph: Next Perspectives. 2014. Aerial Photography for Great Britain. Digital.
SDV359504	Aerial Photograph: Ordnance Survey. 1982. OS/82218 V. Ordnance Survey. Photograph (Paper). OS/82218 V 1130-1131 28-AUG-1982.

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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