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Summary

The remains of ridges, probably made for tree planting or improved drainage from the post-medieval period to 20th century were visible on aerial photographs of the 1940s onwards as low and narrow parallel earthwork banks on the north-east facing slopes overlooking the Corry Brook to the east of Shore Bottom, Stockland.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• ORCHARD (Post Medieval to XX - 1540 AD to 1947 AD (Between))

Full description

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

Plot 537 was listed as Bedlam Orchard.

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

The earthworks corresponded to a depicted orchard. Map object based partly on this source.

Royal Air Force, 1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1974, RAF/CPE/UK/1974 FS 2434-2435 11-APR-1947 (Aerial Photograph). SDV356127.

Linear banks were visible as slight earthworks.

Ordnance Survey, 1982, OS/82218 V, OS/82218 V 1160-1161 28-AUG-1982 (Aerial Photograph). SDV359504.

The orchard has been cleared of trees and the banks remained visible as low earthworks.

Environment Agency, 1998-2014, LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution), LIDAR ST2403 Environment Agency DTM 01-JAN-1998 to 30-SEP-2014 (Cartographic). SDV359177.

The banks can be seen as earthworks crossing the site of an earthwork terrace or mound, possibly evidence of quarrying. Map object based partly on this source.

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 ridges, probably made for tree planting or improved drainage from the post-medieval period to 20th century were visible on aerial photographs of the 1940s onwards as low and narrow parallel earthwork banks on the north-east facing slopes north of Heathstock, Stockland.
The visible banks extended over an area of nearly 1.0 hectares and were spaced approximately 5 to 6 metres apart. They fell within a plot depicted as an orchard on the Ordnance Survey First Edition 25 inch map, a plot listed on the Tithe Apportionment for Stockland as Bedlam Orchard (Plot 537), and are therefore interpreted as ridges made for fruit tree planting and improved orchard drainage. They were aligned cross contour, presumably to aid drainage towards a stream immediately to the north.
By 1947 the tree density within the orchard was very low revealing the underlying earthwork banks across the orchard plot. By 1982 all orchard planting and the plot field boundaries had been cleared, but the banks remain apparent as slight earthworks on digital images derived from lidar data and aerial photographs of 2014. The lidar data confirms that the orchard banks were laid out over the site of a former quarry or extractive pit, recorded separately.

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 FS 2434-2435 11-APR-1947.
SDV359177	Cartographic: Environment Agency. 1998-2014. LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution). Environment Agency LiDAR data. Digital. LIDAR ST2403 Environment Agency DTM 01-JAN-1998 to 30-SEP-2014.
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
SDV359504	Aerial Photograph: Ordnance Survey. 1982. OS/82218 V. Ordnance Survey. Photograph (Paper). OS/82218 V 1160-1161 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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