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Summary

10th century Saxon burh defenses beneath area of Norman ringwork to the west of Lydford

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1002506: Ringwork, castle, town banks, site of Saxon town and defences at Lydford

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX58SW/12/1
• Old SAM County Ref: 392
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SX58SW3

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• DEFENCE WORK (VIII to X - 800 AD to 1000 AD (Between))

Full description

Ancient Monuments, 1956, Lydford Ringwork (Report - Survey). SDV230740.

10th century Saxon burh defenses beneath area of Norman ringwork.

Wilson, D. M. + Hurst, D. G., 1965, Medieval Britain in 1964, 170-1 (Article in Serial). SDV6878.

Interim report included.

Addyman, P. V., 1966, Excavations at Lydford, Devon: 3rd Interim Report (Report - Interim). SDV230763.

The Norman fort appeared to be constructed over the remains of pre-existing town defences at Lydford partly levelled to provide a flat building area. The earlier defencesbelow the fort consist of an earthen bank revetted with granite. Traces of substantial upright squared timbers inserted into rock-cut postholes were inplace before the bank was constructed. The bank was constructed of alternate layers of soil and saplings and branches. The bank was constructed on a foundation of parallel planks laid at right angles to its axis. Although there is no archaeological dating for the defence it is clearly pre-Norman and probably belongs to the 9th century.

Wilson, D. M. + Hurst, D. G., 1966, Medieval Britain in 1965, 168-9 (Article in Serial). SDV230757.

Excavated by Addyman. Partly levelled earthen bank with abrupt front slope and gentle back slope. Front revetted with a granite wall inserted at a later date. Within the bank, traces of substantial upright square timbers, inserted into rock cut post-holes, prior to construction. The bank consisted of turves and saplings laid on a foundation of planks or beams. A timber building at the back of the bank was not excavated.

Wilson, D. M. + Hurst, D. G., 1967, Medieval Britain in 1966, 263 (Article in Serial). SDV6880.

Stone structures behind the bank are also presumably Saxon. Plan.

National Trust, 1984, Lydford Gorge (Report - Survey). SDV336885.

The 11th/12th century earthwork which has been so extensively excavated is now grass-covered and in good condition.

Ancient Monuments, 1989, Lydford; Ringwork, Castle, Town Banks, Site of Saxon Town and Defences (Schedule Document). SDV351489.

Lies within the Scheduled area at Lydford of 'ringwork, castle, town banks, site of Saxon town and defences'.

National Monuments Record, 2013, 440671 (National Heritage List for England). SDV351492.

The Saxon burh of Hlidan, the town now known as Lydford, lies on a wedge-shaped promontory, isolated on the south and west by the deep gorge of the Lyd and on the north-west by a very steep sided tributory valley. Finds uncovered during excavation have included Imported Mediterranean Ware, which may indicate there was an earlier post Roman settlement here. During the reign of Alfred the Great (AD 871-99) it is believed that the town was chosen, on account of its great natural strength, to form a unit in the scheme of national defence. It is claimed that it proved an effective barrier to Danish raiders in AD 997 and subsequently became a populous burh, with a mint which issued silver pennies continuously from the reign of Ethelred II (AD 976-1016) to that of Edward the Confessor (AD 1042-1066). After AD 1066, a Norman fort, remaining as earthworks, was built within the town boundaries followed by a late 12th century prison or keep. Lydford subsequently became significant as a centre for justice and administration of the Forest of Dartmoor and the Stannaries. However it declined in commercial terms after the 14th century before seeing a revival in the 19th century. The location of the town on a promontory meant that it required little artificial fortification except for the north-east sector. At this position there still remains a large curvilinear earthwork rampart, separating the original settlement off from the flatter land to the north-east. The rampart is in two sections with a 25 metre gap in the centre, which is thought to be the original entrance to the settlement, though it would have been much narrower in earlier times. There may well have been an external ditch to the rampart. The interior of the buhr contains evidence of street layouts and property boundaries, which are believed to go back to Saxon times. The pottery found during excavations also included some late Saxon wares. The site is in the care of English Heritage

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV6171 - Archaeological Assessment of Proposed Sewage Treatment Works at Lydford (Ref: 08.31)

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