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Summary

The remains of ridges probably made for fruit tree planting and improved orchard drainage from the post-medieval period to the mid-19th century, were visible as low parallel earthwork banks within the area of a former extractive pit on aerial photographs of 1947, on the south-east facing slopes north of Hunthays Farm, Awliscombe parish.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• EXTRACTIVE PIT (Early Medieval to XIX - 1066 AD to 1880 AD (Between))
• ORCHARD (Post Medieval to XX - 1540 AD to 1947 AD (Between))

Full description

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

The visible earthworks fell within a plot depicted as an orchard and earthwork pit.

Royal Air Force, 1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1974, RAF/CPE/UK/1974 RP 3448-3449 11-APR-1947 (Aerial Photograph). SDV356127.

The orchard was very sparsely planted and the banks visible through the trees across the orchard.

Environment Agency, 1998-2014, LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution), LIDAR ST1202 Environment Agency DTM 01-JAN-1998 to 30-SEP-2014 (Cartographic). SDV359177.

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 roughly parallel ridges were visible as low parallel earthwork banks on aerial photographs of 1947, on the south-east facing slopes north of Hunthays Farm, Awliscombe parish.
The ridges were spaced approximately 4 to 5 metres apart and ran obliquely to the contours of the slope. They fell within a larger plot depicted as an orchard on the Ordnance Survey First Edition 25 inch map, the plot also depicted as a former extractive pit by the use of hachures along its southern boundary.
The earthworks are therefore interpreted as the remains of tree planting banks made for fruit tree planting and improved orchard drainage dating probably from the post-medieval period to the mid-19th century, the orchard established within a former extractive pit of probable medieval to post-medieval date.
The orchard remained very lightly planted and the plot boundary extant in 1947. The banks cannot be seen as earthworks on digital images derived from lidar data captured between 1998 and 2014 and have probably been levelled. The southern boundary of the former extractive pit and orchard plot was visible as a very slight earthwork on the lidar derived images.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV336179	Cartographic: Ordnance Survey. 1880-1899. First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map. First Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map. Map (Digital). [Mapped feature: #76962 ]
SDV356127	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1947. RAF/CPE/UK/1974. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/CPE/UK/1974 RP 3448-3449 11-APR-1947.
SDV359177	Cartographic: Environment Agency. 1998-2014. LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution). Environment Agency LiDAR data. Digital. LIDAR ST1202 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

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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