HER 4689 DESCRIPTION:-

Scheduled Monument Description:

Summary of Monument

A deserted medieval village surviving as earthworks and buried remains which partly overlies the buried remains of a probable Roman camp.

Reasons for Designation

Manless Town medieval settlement and the buried remains of the Roman camp is scheduled for the following principal reasons:

Survival of Roman camp remains: despite being reduced by ploughing, the Roman camp will retain significant archaeological information including buried deposits illustrating the nature of occupation,

artefactual evidence indicating the date of construction and the duration of use;

Survival of medieval settlement : the earthworks of the medieval settlement survive well and contain a good range of features such as building platforms, trackways, enclosures and field systems relating to the occupation of the site and farming practices during the medieval period;

Potential: both excavated and unexplored areas contain the potential to provide further evidence to increase understanding of the character and occupation of both the Roman camp and the medieval

settlement which overlies the northern part of the camp;

Documentation: both the Roman camp and the medieval settlement are well documented by aerial photography, excavation and field survey which have confirmed their importance; the medieval settlement is

also referenced in historical documents;

Group value: the re-occupation of the site during the medieval period provides added interest.

History

Medieval rural settlements in England were marked by great diversity in form, size and type. They typically comprise a small group of houses, gardens, yards, streets, paddocks, often with a green, a manor and a

church, and with a community devoted primarily to agriculture. Villages provided some services to the local community and acted as the main focal point of ecclesiastical, and often of manorial administration within

each parish. Although the sites of many of these villages have been occupied continuously down to the present day, many others declined in size or were abandoned throughout the medieval and post-medieval

periods, particularly during the C14 and C15. The reasons for desertion were varied but often reflected declining economic viability, changes in land use such as enclosure or emparkment, or population

fluctuations as a result of widespread epidemics such as the Black Death.

Manless Town medieval settlement is situated on the higher ridge of the north-east Cotswolds, an area where in 1851 there were low populations and frequent deserted villages, and where settlements are most thinly scattered. The landscape of this gently-tilted plateau prospered in the medieval period through the wool trade based upon the sheep pastures of its former open wolds. Villages in this area tend to lie in folds or along valley sides where water was available.

The first documentary reference to the ‘Manles Towne’ is in 1622. The site has been known by various names including Haywick, Munley Towne, Old Mondley, Longhorn Town and Keywich. A survey undertaken in 1731 by Thomas Warburton mentions a ruined site known as Old Mondley, on a field which at the time of the survey was called ‘Plumb Hay’. It was said to have been sacked in the civil wars during the reign of King John (1166-1216), possibly in 1216 when the King’s army marched from Bristol to Tewkesbury. Local tradition attributes the name of the town to the loss of all the men of the village in battle, and the subsequent abandonment of the town by the surviving women and children. However it is understood that during the reign of Edward II (1327-77), the lord of the manor purchased a charter for a weekly market and annual to be held there, suggesting that occupation continued into the C14. The date that the settlement was abandoned is not known.

The settlement is visible on aerial photographs for 1946 and 1947 as extant earthworks. An archaeological excavation of part of the site in 1962 revealed building foundations and uncovered pottery dating between the C12 and C14. An aerial photographic survey of the earthworks was also carried out in 1962; while a field survey in 1992 (pub. 1998) has provided more detailed evidence of the extent and nature of the medieval settlement.

Warburton's 1731 survey also makes reference to Manless Town having been the site of a Roman Station. Roman material was also recovered during the 1962 excavation, and the aerial survey that same year also depicts cropmarks to the west of the medieval settlement which have since been identified as a Roman camp. This was verified by partial exaction in 1962-63. Further evidence for Roman occupation in the area was discovered during the construction of a small reservoir just beyond the south-east boundary to the camp. The finds included an infant grave, a coin of Faustina II and pottery from the late first and early second centuries AD.

Details

MEDIEVAL SETTLEMENT: the settlement consists of earthworks and buried remains representing plot or croft boundaries; tofts or building platforms; and trackways or hollow ways of the medieval settlement. These are associated with a system of lynchets and field enclosures. The site is bisected centrally by a road with archaeological remains in the fields to the east and west. The main concentration of building and croft platforms of the medieval settlement lie to the east of the current road and consist of earthworks which mostly stand over 0.5m high and buried remains. The earthworks include a number of rectangular platforms of various sizes, and ditches or linear features, possibly defining small paddocks or enclosures. They include a linear arrangement of at least three rectangular building platforms which lie in the centre of this half of the site. One of the most prominent earthwork features is a large rectangular platform with a central division, and measuring approximately 45m north-west to south-east by 10m south-west to north-east. It lies to the south of the group of platforms and overlies earlier croft boundaries. The eastern part of the settlement contains a large ditch which may represent a hollow way or later quarrying activities. The southern part of this half of the site contains a further large rectangular field platform and evidence of lynchets. Adjacent to the road is another linear feature that has been identified as a hollow way. Part of the site in this area has been overlain by dumped topsoil, although two post-medieval quarries are visible to the south.

Further platforms and earthworks are visible in the north part of the settlement which, although less well defined, possibly due to subsequent quarrying and ploughing in this area, represent further features associated with the medieval settlement.

ROMAN CAMP: underlying the medieval settlement and extending into the field to the west of the road are the buried remains of a Roman camp, identified from field investigations in the 1960s. This rectangular

feature is visible on aerial photographs and linear crop marks define the east and south-east boundaries of the camp which overall measures approximately 183m wide (north to south) and 174m long (east to west). The eastern boundary is also visible on the surface as a slight change of slope running north to south. Partial excavation in the field to the west of the road uncovered evidence for a large ditch with a V-shaped profile which has been interpreted as part of the camp's defensive ditch. The footings of dry-stone walls, post-holes and pits were also located within the enclosure. The camp is considered to survive as a buried feature where it extends eastwards, beneath the medieval settlement and the road.

EXCLUSIONS: all gates and fence posts which relate to the modern field boundaries, and the surface of the modern road are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath them is included.

Earthworks visible on CAMB APs {Source Works 2928 and 2929.}

Comments in site file. {Source Work 484.}

The site of a possible DMV at Manless Town was excavated by G Harding in 1962. Trenches cut on the supposed alignment of house sites revealed foundations more characteristic of yard walls than of walls of houses. A small area between the line of the trenches and the modern road at the west end of the two other walls which may have formed parts of two separate buildings. No house plan was revealed. There appeared to be two or three different periods of construction and pottery found suggests occupation from the 12th to 14th centuries. {Source Work 862.}

The location of this excavation is unknown so this event will stay attached to the monument {AM 26/11/2014.}

Earthworks extending over several fields either side of road to Caudle Green. A scatter of medieval pottery has been recovered. This is the site of Manless Town or "Haywick". Also former site of Brimpsfield fair. A battle took place and all the men were killed, hence "Manless Town" - the village was then abandoned by the women and children according to local folklore. DMV-type enclosures and banks, though without a hollow way are clearly visible on the eastern side of road. A freshly cut access road for lorries which are in the process of infilling the quarry, marked on OS map, produced medieval sherds from the disturbed topsoil and mole hills over the pasture fields are also turning up similar pottery. Particular scatter at SO 9282 1158 immediately W of road where discrete scatter of limestone building rubble indicates the site of former houses. A visit to the site was made following a report from Mr Harding that several of the earthworks had been levelled. A certain amount of scraping, dumping and presumably levelling had occured in the western part of OS parcel 9558, but the remainder of the site appeared intact. The actual extent of the damage was unclear as some of the soil patches were spreads of re-deposited material rather than scraped earth. These bare patches were beginning to green up as so had been created recently. The damage appeared to be lanscaping adjacent to the road.

Sheepcote on DMV overlying toft boundary 1.5km to south west of Brimpsfield village. Rectangular enclosure and possible paddocks nearby. Very pronounced earthworks at ends, implying gables. Cross wall 14m from end with entrance in east wall possibly indicating two phases of construction. 46m x 7-8m. {Source Work 3879.}

1973 - A small excavation was undertaken by ED Gander during excavations for a new reservoir on the Miserden Estate, Manless Town, Brimpsfield .

Within the trench for the water pipe connected to this reservoir, Romano-British pottery and a coin of Faustina II were found at a depth of 1m and two large pots were found at 1.2m close to an infant's skeleton lying on its left side with its head to the west. Further along the trench a mass of pottery fragments, charcoal, animal bones and burnt stone possibly represent an occupation layer. No medieval or late Roman sherds were found and the features were interpreted as an in-filled quarry of Roman date. {Source Work 1170.}

1998 - Site visit with regards to WGS application by Stoneyhill Farm undertaken by TG and CBM on 3/2/1998 to check that the DMV did not continue into the WGS at SO 93096 11593. No evidence for such a continuation.

2004 - This area was mapped at 1:10,000 scale as part of the English Heritage: Gloucestershire NMP project.

117565 (SO 91 SW 18) - The earthworks of the deserted Medieval settlement of Manless Town are visible in aerial photographs. Centred on SO 9296 1153 and overlying a toft boundary are the earthwork remains of a Medieval sheepcote. This building was probably built after the village had been deserted and the arable fields converted to pasture. The sheepcote would have been used to provide shelter for the flock during the winter months.

SO 928117. The site of a possible DMV at Manless Town, Brimpsfield, was excavated by G I Harding in 1962. Trenches cut on the supposed alignment of house sites revealed foundations more characteristic of yard walls than of walls of houses. A small area between the line of the trenches and the modern road at the west end of the alleged village yielded walls enclosing a yard, with two other walls which may have formed parts of two separate buildings. No house plan was revealed. There appeared to be two or three different periods of construction, and pottery found suggests occupation from the 12th to 14th centuries. (1)

Remains indicative of a DMV are visible on APs in the are centred SO 929116. (2)

Enclosures and rectangular buildings, Stoneyhill, 929115. (3)

SO 92851155. Excavations for a reservoir yielded various finds including an infant skeleton, two nearly complete orange buff cordoned vessels, a coin of Faustina II, a blue segmented bead, and a polished stone adze fragment. Also found were fragments from about three dozen vessels. (4)

Interim report: (c) Within the past 2 months (Sep-Nov 1990) the landowner has chosen to eradicate all evidence of occupation by levelling the site and dumping the remains in a nearby quarry. (5)

SO 928 116. Manless Town listed in review of deserted Medieval villages in Gloucestershire. (6)

A rapid examination of air photography (7a) shows the earthworks of the DMV extending from SO 927 118 southeast to SO 930 115, prior to their destruction. (7)

These earthworks of the deserted Medieval settlement of Manless Town described by the previous authorities are visible in aerial photographs.

Centred on SO 9296 1153 and overlying a toft boundary are the earthwork remains of a Medieval sheepcote. This building was probably built after the village had been deserted and the arable fields converted to pasture. The sheepcote would have been used to provide shelter for the flock during the winter months.(10, 11) {Source Works 4249, 7549, 6880 and 7270.}

1398010 (SO 91 SW 99) - The cropmark and earthwork remains of possible Post Medieval field boundaries are visible on aerial photographs, centred on SO 9266 1159.

The cropmarks are in a field to the west of Manless Town. Further earthworks of former field boundaries are situated west of these and are centred on SO 9248 1164. {Source Works 4249, 7549, 6880 and 7840.}

2010 - Earthworks are prominent on the Cotswold Edge LiDAR Project imagery {Source Work 9580.}