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Summary

Strip fields of probable medieval date are identifiable on aerial photographs of the 1940s, 1960s and visualisations derived from lidar data captured in 2019 as subtle earthwork banks on the north-west facing slopes of the Lud Brook valley between Ludbrook Manor and the A3121.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• STRIP FIELD (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD (Between))

Full description

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

The visible earthworks do not correspond with any boundaries depicted on the Tithe Map for Ermington.

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/CPE/UK/1890, Devon County Council RAF/CPE/UK/1890 FS 2190-2191 10-DEC-1946 (Aerial Photograph). SDV169268.

Curvilinear banks are visible as earthworks.

Royal Air Force, 1965, RAF/58/7109, RAF/58/7109 F44 0101-0102 22-NOV-1965 (Aerial Photograph). SDV351186.

Curvilinear banks are visible as earthworks.

Environment Agency, 2019, National Lidar Programme, LIDAR Environment Agency DTM 25-FEB-2019 (Cartographic). SDV363691.

Curvilinear banks are identifiable as 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.

Former field boundaries are identifiable on aerial photographs of the 1940s, 1960s and visualisations derived from lidar data captured in 2019 as earthwork banks overlooking the Lud Brook from the south-east.
The banks are aligned to cross the contours of the west and north-west facing slopes, ranging from south-west to north-east to north-west to south-east, depending on local topography.
The visible banks fall partly within an area characterised by HLC as medieval enclosure based on strip fields and partly as Barton Fields, likely to have been laid out between the 15th and 18th centuries, with some elements possibly following earlier divisions in the pre-existing medieval fields.
The banks do not correspond with any boundaries depicted on the Tithe Map for Ermington, but those to the south-west of the group within the area characterised by HLC as medieval enclosure based on strip fields are clearly in keeping with the character of the surrounding field pattern.
While some of the extant boundaries in the area characterised as Barton Fields have no regard to the relict banks some do, as at circa SX65425359, supporting the interpretation that the relict banks are evidence of an earlier boundary system that influenced later enclosure.
This probably supports an interpretation of the wider system of relict earthworks as strip fields of medieval date that were partly cleared by post-medieval reorganisation of the local field pattern.

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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