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Summary

An extensive area of lynchets and former field boundaries of between medieval to post-medieval date are visible as earthwork banks on aerial photographs of 1946 onwards, at Holcombe. The earthworks remain clearly visible on Lidar-derived images of 1998-2014.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1002558: Roman villa 300yds (270m) SSW of Holcombe Farm
• SHINE: Iron Age enclosure and Roman villa south west of Higher Holcombe Farm
• Scheduled Monument 1002558: Roman villa 300yds (270m) SSW of Holcombe Farm

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• FIELD BOUNDARY (Early Medieval to Post Medieval - 1066 AD to 1750 AD (Between))
• LYNCHET (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD (Between))

Full description

Devon County Council, 1838-1848, Tithe Mosaic, approximately 1838-1848 (Cartographic). SDV349431.

A number of the earthworks recorded as part of this project are depicted here on the Uplyme Parish Tithe Map of approximately 1838-48.

Horner, W., 19/02/2015, Lynchets at Holcombe, Uplyme (Personal Comment). SDV358130.

Holcombe, Uplyme. Extensive area of lynchets visible on Lidar at circa SY331927.

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/106G/UK/1412, RAF/106G/UK/1412 RP 3348-49 13-APR-1946 (Aerial Photograph). SDV352504.

A series of earthwork banks are visible.

Royal Air Force, 1963, RAF/58/5607, RAF/58/5607 F22 332-33 22-JAN-1963 (Aerial Photograph). SDV355896.

A series of earthwork banks are visible. Map object based on this source.

Environment Agency, 1998-2014, LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution), LIDAR SY3192 Environment Agency DTM 01-JAN-1998 to 30-SEP-2014 (Cartographic). SDV359177.

A series of earthwork banks are visible. Map object based on this source.

Environment Agency, 2011, LIDAR data JPEG images (2 metre resolution) (Cartographic). SDV348634.

Map object previously based on this source.

Ordnance Survey, 2015, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV357601.

Map object previously based on this source.

Richard Sims, 2015-2016, Marshwood Vale National Mapping Programme (NMP) project (Interpretation). SDV359291.

A series of earthwork banks of lynchets and former field boundaries of between possible medieval to post-medieval date are visible on aerial photographs of 1946 onwards, at Holcombe. The extensive area of well-preserved earthworks occupy an area of approximately 29 hectares of moderate and steep east facing slope, on the western side of a prominent combe. The earthworks are dominated by a series of parallel and curvilinear banks which are broadly northeast to southwest aligned and concordant with the east facing slope. These curvilinear banks appear to represent a series of lynchets. The layout of the field patterns here partly respect these lynchets and appears that some of these were later established as field boundaries. To the north and west of these are a series of more linear north to south and east to west aligned earthwork banks of likely former field boundaries. A number of the lynchets and field boundaries are depicted on the Parish Tithe Map of approximately 1838-48, although a number of the field boundaries have clearly passed out of use by this time. The site of a Roman villa is also located centrally within the area of earthworks, although it is unclear if any of the earthworks recorded here are associated with this site. It is perhaps more likely the lynchets are of medieval date, although may conceivably also have earlier origins, with the more linear earthwork field boundaries perhaps of between medieval to post-medieval date. Evidence of multi-phase activity is possibly visible at SY314 927, where a series of short linear northwest to southeast aligned banks appear to be truncated by a rectilinear shaped enclosure. The earthworks remain clearly visible on Lidar-derived images of between 1998-2014. Further field investigation, such as geophysical survey and or sampling of the earthworks is recommended to help establish more conclusively the extent and date of these features.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV6873 - Marshwood Vale National Mapping Programme project (Ref: ACD1260)

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