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Summary

An extensive relict medieval field system, with post-medieval to 19th century elements, is visible as a series of earthwork banks and ditches on aerial photographs of 1948 onwards, and on digital images derived from lidar data captured in 2016, to the northwest of Northams Farm, Yarcombe.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• National Record of the Historic Environment: 190489
• Old DCC SMR Ref: ST21SW/4

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• FIELD SYSTEM (Early Medieval to XIX - 1066 AD to 1900 AD (Between))
• STRIP LYNCHET (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD (Between))
• NARROW RIDGE AND FURROW (Post Medieval to XIX - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• ORCHARD (Post Medieval to XIX - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Full description

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV104377.

Medieval field system.

APH, Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV104380.

System visible on 1989 and 1997 aps (aph).

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV104381.

Osa=st21sw14.

Untitled Source (Aerial Photograph). SDV104382.

Aph=cpe/uk/1974/1307 and 1308.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV104383.

Os 1:25000 (1982) st21/31 pathfinder 1278.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV104385.

Des=slide/(23/9/1992)/in smr.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV104386.

Des=colour print/(23/9/1992)/bh4 frame nos 4-8/in smr.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV104387.

Des=b/w print/(23/9/1992)/bh22 frame nos 20-25/in smr.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, Untitled Source (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV24.

Vis=18/8/1960 (os) an extensive system of lynchets and fields mainly on southern and western slopes of the northam's farm spur. Lynchets mostly from 1.0m-3.0m high and the spread banks forming field boundaries average 500.0mm high. System fairly well defined on air photographs (os).

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

A number of the earthworks are shown as field boundaries on this map.

Royal Air Force, 1948, RAF/CPE/UK/2491, RAF/CPE/UK/2491 RP 3187-88 11-MAR-1948 (Aerial Photograph). SDV359578.

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

Griffith, F. M., 1989, DAP/PQ, 10-12 (Aerial Photograph). SDV344837.

Map object based on this Source.

Exeter Museums Archaeological Field Unit, 1992 - 1993, Blackdown Hills Survey Archive (Archive - Survey). SDV324187.

Vis=23/9/1992 (simpson and noble) this field system is much more extensive than apparent on os 1:25000 (1982). Many of the lynchets contain stone, possibly used as revetting on the downslope side. Marwoods causeway (st21sw/007) appears to incorporate the uppermost lynchet. This field system has been incorporated into and cut by a later field system and overlain by later settlement and cut through by a later road.

Horner, B., 1997, DAP/ABY, 2-6 (Aerial Photograph). SDV342995.

Map object based on this Source.

Ordnance Survey, 2011, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV346129.

Map object based on this Source.

Bluesky International, 2016, LiDAR DTM data (0.5m resolution) Blackdown Hills and East Devon AONBs: 3 transects, LIDAR ST2210 Bluesky International DTM 30-APR-2016 & 04-MAY-2016 (Cartographic). SDV359714.

A series of earthwork banks and ditches are visible. Map object partly based 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.

An extensive relict medieval field system, with post-medieval to 19th century elements, is visible as a series of earthwork banks and ditches on aerial photographs of 1948 onwards, and on digital images derived from lidar data captured in 2016, to the northwest of Northams Farm, Yarcombe. The field system covers an area of approximately 18 hectares of moderate southwest facing slope, from Northams Farm in the southeast, towards Williambeer Farm to the northwest. The earthworks are characterised by a series of prominent northwest to southeast aligned linear and curvilinear earthwork medieval strip lynchets, up to 20m wide, which define level terraced fields, or threads, typically between 15 to 55m wide. A number of these lynchets have been incorporated into the post-medieval field system and utilised as field boundaries, as shown on the First Edition Ordnance Survey map. Other earthwork field boundaries recorded here appear to have been laid here during the post-medieval phase of land enclosure. Other post-medieval to 19th century features include a series of narrow earthwork banks of possible agricultural improvement or tree planting banks of former orchards (or combination of the two) visible along the western periphery of the earthworks. Located centrally amongst the earthworks are the remains of a former medieval settlement (MDV11591), little of which now survives apart from a series of short linear and L-shaped banks of infields and enclosures, and earthwork platforms of possible former structures. In addition, a former farmstead of Steedbeer Farm (MDV47517) is recorded to the south. Given the complex nature of earthworks recorded here, disaggregating those earthworks associated with two settlement sites from those of the field system was problematic. As such, the respective monument polygons for these sites may be somewhat arbitrary in places.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV104377	Migrated Record:
SDV104380	Migrated Record: APH.
SDV104381	Migrated Record:
SDV104382	Aerial Photograph:
SDV104383	Migrated Record:
SDV104385	Migrated Record:
SDV104386	Migrated Record:
SDV104387	Migrated Record:
SDV24	Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card: Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division. Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card. Card Index.
SDV324187	Archive - Survey: Exeter Museums Archaeological Field Unit. 1992 - 1993. Blackdown Hills Survey Archive. Blackdown Hills Survey Archive. A4 Unbound.
SDV336179	Cartographic: Ordnance Survey. 1880-1899. First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map. First Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map. Map (Digital).
SDV342995	Aerial Photograph: Horner, B.. 1997. DAP/ABY. Devon Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). 2-6.
SDV344837	Aerial Photograph: Griffith, F. M.. 1989. DAP/PQ. Devon Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). 10-12.
SDV346129	Cartographic: Ordnance Survey. 2011. MasterMap. Ordnance Survey. Map (Digital).
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
SDV359578	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1948. RAF/CPE/UK/2491. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/CPE/UK/2491 RP 3187-88 11-MAR-1948.
SDV359714	Cartographic: Bluesky International. 2016. LiDAR DTM data (0.5m resolution) Blackdown Hills and East Devon AONBs: 3 transects. Not applicable. Digital. LIDAR ST2210 Bluesky International DTM 30-APR-2016 & 04-MAY-2016.

Associated Monuments

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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