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Summary

Strip field boundaries of probable medieval origin are visible as earthwork ditches on aerial photographs of 1946 and cropmarks of ditches on digital images derived from aerial photographs of 2018, on the south-facing slopes west of Bigbury village.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• STRIP FIELD (Early Medieval to Post Medieval - 1066 AD to 1750 AD (Between))

Full description

South West Heritage Trust, 1838-1848, Digitised Tithe Maps and Transcribed Apportionments (Cartographic). SDV359954.

The visible earthworks and cropmarks correspond with field boundaries depicted on the Tithe Map for Bigbury.

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

The visible earthworks and cropmarks correspond in part with field boundaries depicted on the Ordnance Survey 1880s First Edition 25inch map.

Royal Air Force, 1945, RAF/106G/UK/967, RAF/106G/UK/967 RS 4137-4138 01-NOV-1945 (Aerial Photograph). SDV351060.

Curvilinear ditches or hollows are visible as earthworks.

Turner, S.C., 2005 - 2006, Devon Historic Landscape Characterisation Mapping (Cartographic). SDV349122.

These relatively large, regular enclosures seem likely to have been laid out between C15th-C18th. Some curving boundaries may be following earlier divisions in the pre-existing medieval fields. In Cornwall these are sometimes called Barton fields

Google, 2019, Google Earth Pro, EARTH.GOOGLE.COM 22-JUN-2018 ACCESSED 04-MAR-2020 (Aerial Photograph). SDV363088.

Curvilinear ditches are visible as cropmarks.

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.

Curvilinear ditches or hollows 4 to 8m wide visible as earthwork on aerial photographs of 1946 correspond with cropmarks of ditches 2 to 3m wide visible on digital images derived from aerial photographs of 2018, obliquely crossing the contours of the south-facing slopes west of Bigbury village.
The cropmarks correspond closely with field boundaries depicted on the Tithe Map for Bigbury, defining roughly north-west to south-east aligned fields from circa 16 to 7om wide.
A high proportion of the curvilinear boundaries are not depicted on the Ordnance Survey 1880s 25inch First Edition map, indicating a significant degree of boundary removal between circa 1840 and 1880, resulting in a more regular field pattern.
From the later 19th century field pattern, HLC characterised these fields as likely to have been laid out between the 15th and 18th centuries.
The earthwork, cropmark and Tithe map evidence support the interpretation that this block of fields was probably laid out as strip fields somewhat earlier, in the medieval period.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• 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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