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Summary

The remains of ridges possibly made for fruit tree planting and improved orchard drainage from the post-medieval period to the 19th century were visible as low, parallel earthwork banks on aerial photographs of 1947 on the north-east-facing combe slopes south-east of Riggle’s Farm, Upottery parish.

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 Mosaic, approximately 1838-1848 (Cartographic). SDV349431.

The visible earthwork banks do not correspond to a plot depicted as an orchard.

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

The visible earthwork banks do not correspond to a plot depicted as an orchard.

Royal Air Force, 1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1974, RAF/CPE/UK/1974 RP 3303-3304 11-APR-1947 (Aerial Photograph). SDV356127.

Linear earthwork banks were visible.

Next Perspectives, 2010, Aerial Photography for Great Britain, Next Perspectives APGB Imagery ST1808 04-MAY-2010 (Aerial Photograph). SDV359490.

The linear banks were not visible as earthworks.

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 low, parallel earthwork banks were visible on aerial photographs of 1947 on the north-east-facing combe slopes south-east of Riggle’s Farm, Upottery parish. The banks were spaced up to approximately 4 metres apart covered an area of circa 0.2 hectares.
The earthworks closely resemble the ridges made to improve soil depth and drainage on orchards in Devon, although are slightly more closely spaced than is typical. They do not correspond with any orchard planting depicted on the Tithe Map for Upottery or the Ordnance Survey 25 inch first edition map. This might support the interpretation that a former orchard on this site had passed out of use prior to the 1840s, or that the banks were simply made to improve drainage in this location. The banks were not visible as earthworks on the most recent images available to the survey and might have been levelled.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV336179	Cartographic: Ordnance Survey. 1880-1899. First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map. First Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map. Map (Digital).
SDV349431	Cartographic: Devon County Council. 1838-1848. Tithe Mosaic, approximately 1838-1848. Digitised Tithe 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 3303-3304 11-APR-1947. [Mapped feature: #75844 ]
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
SDV359490	Aerial Photograph: Next Perspectives. 2010. Aerial Photography for Great Britain. Aerial Photography for Great Britain Aerial Photographs. Digital. Next Perspectives APGB Imagery ST1808 04-MAY-2010.

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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