See important guidance on the use of this record.

If you have any comments or new information about this record, please email us.

Summary

Archaeological investigations identified features which possibly represent ditches, a gully, field boundaries, post holes, pits and tree throws

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• DITCH (Unknown date)
• POST HOLE (Unknown date)
• TREE THROW (Unknown date)
• DITCH (Post Medieval - 1540 AD (Between) to 1750 AD (Between))
• FIELD BOUNDARY (Post Medieval to XIX - 1540 AD (Between) to 1900 AD (Between))

Full description

Edwards, M. + Trick, S., 2019, Land at Higher Town, Sampford Peverell (Report - Survey). SDV363319.

This reports presents the results of a magnetometer survey on land at Higher Town, Sampford Peverell. The survey was commissioned by AC Archaeology on behalf of clients.

Anomalies 2-8 and 10-11 coincide with strip field boundaries depicted on early 20th century mapping.

Anomaly Group 19 is an arcing anomaly. Interpretation is uncertain, possibly a truncated ditch.

Rainbird, P., 2019, Land at Higher Town, Sampford Peverell, Devon: Trench Evaluation (Report - Evaluation). SDV365465.

An archaeological trench evaluation was undertaken by AC archaeology during November 2019 on land at Higher Town, Sampford Peverell, Devon. Work comprised the machine-excavation of six trial trenches totalling 240m long, with each trench 2m wide. These were mainly positioned to target anomalies identified by a previous geophysical survey.

The evaluation has established that the site is characterised by relatively-deep overlying soils and that some of the recorded geophysical anomalies are represented by a combination of archaeological and naturally-formed features, most of which were undated.

Trench 2 was located in the centre of the southwest portion of the site and was positioned to examine two linear anomalies identified in the interpreted results of the geophysical survey. Two linear
features (F203 and F205) were exposed, one of which corresponded to the position of a geophysical anomaly. In addition, a pit (F207) was also exposed. No finds were recovered from these features.

Trench 3 was located in the centre of the southwest portion of the site and was positioned to examine two linear anomalies identified in the interpreted results of the geophysical survey. One linear ditch feature (F303) was exposed which corresponded to the position of one of the geophysical anomalies. A pit was also present along the other linear (F306). Poorly preserved charred plant remains were present in the linear ditch.

Trench 5 was located in the southwest part of the site and was positioned to examine one linear anomaly and two curvilinear anomalies identified in the interpreted results of the geophysical survey. As well as identifiying the two curvilinear anomalies, a linear terminal, a posthole and a tree throw were recorded not previously identified on the geophysical survey. Five sherds of prehistoric pottery of probable Late Bronze Age or Early Iron Age date were recovered from the subsoil of this trench.

The posthole was circular in plan measuring (0.35m in diameter by 0.23m deep), with steep sides onto a concave base. It had a single fill which contained a single well-preserved grain of wheat/barley type. No finds were recovered.

The ditch terminal was northeast-southwest aligned. It had a single fill which contained a small number of poorly preserved charred plant remains. No finds were recovered.

The tree throw was not fully exposed in the trench, but appeared sub-circular in plan measuring
1.8m long by 1m+ wide and 0.6m deep. It had a single fill which contained a single well-preserved fragment of grain or legume. No finds were recovered.

Davey, J. + Moore, D., 2022, Land at Higher Town, Sampford Peverell, Tiverton, Devon: Archaeological Strip Map and Excavate (Report - Excavation). SDV365494.

In May and July 2022, Archaeology England Ltd carried out a programme of archaeological mitigation on land at Higher Town, Sampford Peverell, Devon (centred on NGR ST 0249 1409). This involved a Strip, Map and Sample excavation (SME) and environmental analysis of palaeoenvironmental samples retained from an earlier evaluation of the site undertaken by AC Archaeology (Valentin 2021). The current report represents a synthesis of the results of these two phases of work.

For the SME, the site was subdivided into three areas. Area 1, 2 and 3.

A ditch was recorded in Area 1 and two ditches were recorded in Area 2 along with a gully. Only one of the ditches [015] in Area 2 produced any finds, two sherds of post-medieval pottery. Ditch 013 is thought to relate to MDV126903.

Post medieval ditches and gullies were excavated within Areas 1 and 2. These were aligned either perpendicular or parallel to the prevailing north-south medieval and post-medieval strip field boundaries recorded on historic maps, as well as in the earlier geophysical survey and evaluation. These excavated features potentially represent later minor subdivisions or drainage within those medieval and post-medieval fields.

Several undated irregular pits were excavated across Areas 1 and 3 and interpreted as tree throws. The presence of these irregular pits is also attested from the earlier evaluation. Their frequency (often approximately 6-7m apart) and distribution (across the entire wider development site but with no discernible regular pattern) was suggestive of a pre-existing woodland or forest on the site prior to the establishment of the current system of land division. Radiocarbon dating of grain from one of these features indicates that this change to an agricultural regime may have occurred during the Saxon period.
Palaeoenvironmental evidence recovered from these features indicated the deposition of a likely spoiled grain deposit, which was possibly burnt during the drying process and discarded within the natural hollow created by the thrown tree.

Area 2 also contained two possible post holes containing no finds.

There was a paucity of finds recovered from the site in general. It was therefore not possible to confirm, or disprove, the hypothesis that there had been prehistoric or Romano-British activity on the site.

The presence of several tree throws across the site recorded during the current excavations, as well as
the earlier evaluation, one of which has been radiocarbon dated to the late 8th or 9th century AD, may
indicate that the site reverted to woodland during the post-Roman period. The site appears to have
been subsequently reclaimed for arable during the Mid-Late Saxon period, ultimately resulting in the
creation of a medieval strip-field system.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8193 - Magnetomer Survey on Land at Higher Town, Sampford Peverell (Ref: 1909SAM-R-1-2)
• EDV8995 - Trench Evaluation: Land at Higher Town, Sampford Peverell, Devon (Ref: ACW1063/3/0)
• EDV8994 - Archaeological Strip Map and Excavate: Land at Higher Town, Sampford Peverell, Tiverton, Devon (Ref: 2114)

Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.