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Summary

Cropmarks which have formed over a levelled pit of possible Roman to early medieval ironstone workings are visible on aerial photographs of 1947, on gentle southwest facing slope to the south of Blackdown Garth. It is unclear whether very shallow earthworks are visible here on digital images derived from lidar data captured in 2016.

Location

Protected Status

• SHINE: Earthworks and cropmarks of pits, part of extensive Roman and post-Roman open cast ironstone mines, 18th-19th century Laurel Walk and sites of structures associated with former WWII Dunkeswell airfield at Highwood

Other References/Statuses

• SHINE Candidate (Yes)

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• IRONSTONE MINE? (Roman to VII - 43 AD to 700 AD (Between))
• EXTRACTIVE PIT? (Post Medieval to XIX - 1540 AD to 1900 AD (Between))

Full description

Royal Air Force, 1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1974, RAF/CPE/UK/1974 RS 4446-47 11-APR-1947 (Aerial Photograph). SDV356127.

The possible extraction pit is visible as a cropmark pit, with earthwork banks to the north.

Bluesky International, 2016, LiDAR DTM data (0.5m resolution) Blackdown Hills and East Devon AONBs: 3 transects, LIDAR ST1405 Bluesky International DTM 05-MAY-2016 (Cartographic). SDV359714.

It is unclear whether subtle earthworks of the extraction pit are visible.

Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R., 2016-2018, The Blackdown Hills AONB and East Devon River Catchments National Mapping Programme Project (Interpretation). SDV359463.

Cropmarks which have formed over a levelled pit of possible Roman to early medieval ironstone workings are visible on aerial photographs of 1947, on gentle southwest facing slope to the south of Blackdown Garth. The irregular shaped cropmarks cover an area of approximately 0.33 hectares, with two short linear earthwork banks, possibly derived from up-cast material, visible along its northern edge. The irregular shaped nature of the cropmarks here may suggest that this extraction pit is in fact composed of numerous smaller intercutting pits. A dense concentration of Roman to early medieval ironstone open cast pits have been recorded to the immediate north and northeast and may represent contemporary workings. It is also possible, however, that the extraction pit is the result of more recent post-medieval to 19th century workings. It is unclear whether very shallow earthworks are visible here on digital images derived from lidar data captured in 2016.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV356127	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1947. RAF/CPE/UK/1974. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/CPE/UK/1974 RS 4446-47 11-APR-1947. [Mapped feature: #76783 ]
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
SDV359714	Cartographic: Bluesky International. 2016. LiDAR DTM data (0.5m resolution) Blackdown Hills and East Devon AONBs: 3 transects. Not applicable. Digital. LIDAR ST1405 Bluesky International DTM 05-MAY-2016.

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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