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Summary

A series of earthwork bank and ditched features of a possible medieval field system are visible on aerial photographs of 1947 onwards, to the north of Little Musgrove Farm. The earthworks remain clearly visible on digital images derived from lidar data captured in 2016.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1009303: Dunkeswell Abbey
• SHINE: Land with below-ground archaeological potential, earthworks of a possible medieval field system and remains of a catch(water)meadow in the vicinity of Dunkeswell Abbey

Other References/Statuses

• SHINE Candidate (Yes)

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• FIELD SYSTEM (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)

Full description

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

Field boundaries are partly depicted here.

Royal Air Force, 1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1974, RAF/CPE/UK/1974 RP 3296-97 11-APR-1947 (Aerial Photograph). SDV356127.

Earthworks are visible here.

Bluesky International, 2016, LiDAR DTM data (0.5m resolution) Blackdown Hills and East Devon AONBs: 3 transects, LIDAR ST1410 Bluesky International DTM 05-MAY-2016 (Cartographic). SDV359714.

A series of earthwork banks and ditches are 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 series of earthwork bank and ditched features of a possible medieval field system are visible on aerial photographs of 1947 onwards, to the north of Little Musgrove Farm.
The earthworks occupy an area of approximately 1.73 hectares of gentle southeast facing slope. They comprise a series of linear northeast to southwest and northwest to southeast aligned banks and ditches, which typically flank one another. The field boundaries appear to form a series of rectilinear shaped land parcels, up to 63m in length, with earthworks of smaller plots, visible to the east, at approximately ST141107. A more substantial bank up to 7m in width defines the southwest edge of these field boundaries where it borders the roadway, with a possible earthwork cutting or pit to its south. A number of the earthworks correspond to field boundaries depicted here on the First Edition Ordnance Survey map of the 1880’s-90’s, although the majority of these appear to have passed out of used by this time. The digital Parish Tithe Map of 1838-48 is incomplete here, so it is not possible to determine which of the boundaries were in existence by this time. This field system may be of medieval origin, particularly given their close proximity to Dunkeswell Abbey to the immediate southeast. The earthworks remain clearly visible on digital images derived from lidar data captured in 2016.

Caldwell, L., 2019, Dunkeswell Abbey: Geophysical Survey (Report - Geophysical Survey). SDV364077.

Four surveys were carried out near to the site of Dunkeswell Abbey (Devon County Council Heritage Gateway number 1098253; Historic England List Entry Number 1009303) as part of a Community Heritage Project to explore the landscape around the Abbey ruins. Between 2016 and 2018 an archaeological aerial investigation (formerly the National Mapping Programme or NMP) of the Blackdown Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty was undertaken by AC archaeology and Devon County Council.

Based on this, three areas were selected for gradiometry (figs 1 & 2): Little Musgrove Farm (NGR 314100 110800), where the NMP evidence from LiDAR (figs 4 & 5) revealed a number of linear earthworks interpreted as Possible Medieval Field Systems (Devon HER ref MDV116063). These earthworks are also clearly visible in the field. Two further smaller gradiometry surveys were carried out in a field adjacent to Burnsome Forde (NGR 313900 110700) where the NMP LiDAR survey revealed a number of irregular and linearearthworks interpreted as Possible Furnace/Extractive site (Devon HER ref MDV54143).

A small resistivity survey was also carried out at Little Musgrove Farm (fig 3), targeted on some of the
anomalies revealed in the gradiometry survey.

The Little Musgrove Farm gradiometry and resistivity surveys have both detected linear anomalies, many of which correspond with the evidence from the NMP LiDAR survey and earthworks still visible in the field. Differences in alignments of some of these linears could suggest different phases of activity. There also areas where the groupings of dipolar anomalies in the gradiometry results and corresponding high resistance anomalies in the resistivity could suggest concentrated areas of anthropogenic activity or possibly building rubble.

It is not possible to say if any of these anomalies are contemporary with the Abbey itself, although the proximity of the field to the Abbey site would suggest an association.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV336179	Cartographic: Ordnance Survey. 1880-1899. First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map. First Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map. Map (Digital).
SDV356127	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1947. RAF/CPE/UK/1974. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/CPE/UK/1974 RP 3296-97 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
SDV359714	Cartographic: Bluesky International. 2016. LiDAR DTM data (0.5m resolution) Blackdown Hills and East Devon AONBs: 3 transects. Not applicable. Digital. LIDAR ST1410 Bluesky International DTM 05-MAY-2016. [Mapped feature: #75406 ]
SDV364077	Report - Geophysical Survey: Caldwell, L.. 2019. Dunkeswell Abbey: Geophysical Survey. GeoFlo. G F1067. Digital.
	Linked documents:1

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)
• EDV8507 - Geophysical Survey: Dunkeswell Abbey (Ref: G F1067)

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