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Summary

Small and irregular enclosures or terraces are visible defined by curvilinear banks immediately east of Collard Tor, Wotter Common. Excavation dates these to the Iron Age.
The banks are partly visible as earthworks on aerial photographs of 1998 and visualisations derived from lidar data captured in 2013.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX56SE170?
• National Monuments Record: SX56SE184
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 1125887
• Pastscape: 1105322?

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• ENCLOSURE (Constructed, Iron Age - 700 BC (Between) to 42 AD (Between))
• FIELD BOUNDARY (Iron Age - 700 BC (Between) to 42 AD (Between))

Full description

Smith, K. + Coppen, J. + Wainwright, G. J. + Beckett, S., 1981, The Shaugh Moor Project; Third Report - Settlement and Environmental Investigations (Article in Serial). SDV173752.

Wotter reave and the remains of a series of discontinuous irregular field walls are situated on Wotter Common (SX 558622). A number of excavation trenches were dug in 1979/80 to investigate the features in advance of China Clay working.
To the south-east of Collard Tor a group of walls with a dump core revetted by coursed stonework were excavated as well as and a number of semi-circular platforms. Terraced into the slope these were thought to be cultivation terraces of late Iron Age date. A three-sided structure (in trench BD) overlying the soil horizon of these terraces was probably a pen for animals.

National Monuments Record, 1998, NMR 18051, NMR 18051/10 19-MAY-1998 (Aerial Photograph). SDV363403.

Banks are visible as earthworks.

Fletcher, M. + Probert, S., 1998, Shaugh Moor, Devon: An Archaeological Survey (Report - Survey). SDV343481.

(04/12/1997) This report is to supplement and replace records SX 56 SE 136 and 137
Centred SX 555630. A series of field systems dating from the prehistoric to the post-medieval occupy some 150 hectares of Shaugh Moor. Four distinct systems are apparent:
A cluster of small irregular enclosures and terraces immediately east of Collard Tor were shown by excavation (Smith et al 1981) to be Iron Age in date. While this date is somewhat unexpected it does help explain why these plots contrast the ordered Middle Bronze Age field systems and their small size and poor state of preservation when compared to the medieval fields.
For detailed 1:2500 plan and description see ‘Shaugh Moor Survey'.
(12/03/1998) Much of Wotter Common has now been either destroyed by china clay workings or covered by spoil dumping. However the area centred at SX55826212 is untouched by the china clay works and here a series of often ill-defined prehistoric walls are traceable. The excavated boulder/stone and ocasionally lynchetted walling on average 0.3m high is traceable and further lengths of similar walling were indentified and surveyed in 1998. The hillside is covered by dense clitter spreads such that the positive identification of the IA walling is often difficult. The sites of most of the 1980 trenches can still be traced and in places the black plastic membrane laid to protect the exposed land surface is still in situ.The foundations of the structure are obscured by the plastic membrane.

NERC, 2013, LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution) Tellus: South Devon to Dartmoor, LIDAR SX5562 Tellus DTM 01-JUL-2013 to 31-AUG-2013 (Cartographic). SDV361514.

Banks are identifiable as very subtle earthworks.

Hegarty, C., Knight, S. and Sims, R., 2019-2020, The South Devon Coast to Dartmoor Aerial Investigation and Mapping Survey. Area 2, Avon Valley to Plymouth (AI&M, formerly NMP) (Interpretation). SDV362982.

Banks or terraces are visible on aerial photographs of 1998 as curvilinear earthworks up to circa 2.5m wide and 80m long, on the south-facing slopes of Wotter Common.
The banks are not in keeping with the character of the Bronze Age reave boundary pattern on Shaugh Moor and are more irregular than the medieval or later reuse of the earlier boundaries visible to the north and west.
The visible earthworks correspond in part with the banks recorded by Fletcher and Probert (SDV343481) and a later prehistoric date might explain their variation in character from the more extensive Bronze Age and medieval field patterns.
The banks remain identifiable as very subtle earthworks on visualisations derived from lidar data captured in 2013.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV4967 - Shaugh Moor Survey (1997-1998)
• EDV8098 - The South Devon Coast to Dartmoor Aerial Investigation and Mapping (formerly NMP) Survey, Area 2, Avon Valley to Plymouth (Ref: ACD2040)

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