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Summary

Narrow ridge and furrow, probably created for post-medieval agricultural improvement and drainage, is visible as earthwork banks and gullies on aerial photographs dating from the 1940s and on visualisations derived from lidar data captured in 2013. The ridge and furrow earthworks are situated on the southern and eastern slopes of moorland to the south and east of Hardsworthy Farm.

Location

Protected Status

• SHINE: Earthworks of Ridge and Furrow cultivation on Forda Moor, Bradworthy

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SS21NE/516/1
• SHINE Candidate (Yes)

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• NARROW RIDGE AND FURROW (Post Medieval - 1540 AD (Between) to 1750 AD (Between))

Full description

Devon County Council, 1838-1848, Tithe Mosaic, approximately 1838-1848 (Cartographic). SDV349431.

The earthworks do not correspond with any depicted features. The land is recorded as a mix of moorland, arable and coarse pasture.

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

The earthworks do not correspond with any depicted features. The land is partially depicted as rough or unimproved ground.

Ordnance Survey, 1904 - 1906, Second Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map (Cartographic). SDV325644.

The earthworks do not correspond with any depicted features. The amount of land depicted as rough or unimproved has increased.

Royal Air Force, 1946 - 1949, Royal Air Force Aerial Photographs (Aerial Photograph). SDV342938.

Areas of ridge and furrow visible.

Collacott, C. T., 1950 - 1951, Ridge and Furrow in Devon and Cornwall (Article in Serial). SDV342529.

Moors belonging to Hardsworthy Farm show good examples of ridge and furrow (no precise location). For background to this see 19359.

NERC, 2013, LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution) Tellus: Tamar Aerial Survey project area, LIDAR Tellus LAST RETURN 01-JUL-2013 to 31-AUG-2013 (Cartographic). SDV363955.

Narrow linear banks and gullies are visible.

Hegarty, C., Houghton, E., Knight, S. and Sims, R., 2020-2021, Tamar/Lidar; A Single Source Approach to Landscape Survey and Socially Distanced Community Archaeology Area 2 (Culture Recovery Fund project) (Interpretation). SDV364011.

A series of narrow linear banks and gullies circa 4 metres in width are visible as subtle earthworks on visualisations derived from lidar data. They extend across several agricultural plots of varying sizes to the south and northeast of Hardsworthy Farm and are orientated in multiple directions.
The plot names recorded in the Tithe Apportionment indicate the area was moorland and comprised arable and course pasture. Historic and modern maps depict the land as a mix of rough or unimproved ground and improved ground, the latter of which declined back into rough ground by the mid-20th century. The character of the historic landscape is recorded as post-medieval enclosures and rough ground, with an area of medieval enclosures based on strip fields immediately to the north.
The straight and narrow form of the earthworks are characteristic of post-medieval land management and they are therefore interpreted as narrow ridge and furrow of post-medieval origin for the purpose of agricultural improvement and drainage, that may have fallen out of management by circa 1840. The earthworks have not been transcribed.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8356 - Tamar/Lidar; A Single Source Approach to Landscape Survey and Socially Distanced Community Archaeology Area 2 (Culture Recovery Fund) (Ref: ACD2424)

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