See important guidance on the use of this record.

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

Summary

The remains of a Roman road survive as an earthwork across Sourton Down.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX59SW/37

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• ROAD (Constructed, Roman - 43 AD (Between) to 409 AD (Between)) + Sci.Date

Full description

Cartographical Services, 1972, Okehampton bypass A30 south route, No.320/252047-051 (Aerial Photograph). SDV253699.

Balkwill, C. J. + Silvester, R. J., 1976, Earthworks on Sourton Down, near Okehampton, 86-89 (Article in Serial). SDV346220.

Road described and its date discussed.

Balkwill, C. J., 1976, Okehampton bypass No.2 (ii) north (Report - Survey). SDV363692.

Road survives as a raised earthwork running south-west -north-east across Sourton Down from SX53899149 to SX54569202. Its course continues north-east following existing field boundaries to lead into Bowerland Road at SX55079288. The course of this road, which is roughly straight, is shown on Donn's map of 1765, Ordnance Survey 1809 1 inch map and by a dotted line on the Tithe Map of 1844. Its date is uncertain but it must predate the field system on Sourton Down. It was first seen on aerial photos.

Timms, S. C., 1976, The Devon Urban Survey, 1976. First Draft, 156 (Report - Survey). SDV341346.

Balkwill, C. J., 1977, Archaeology and Development in Rural Devon, 11-12 (Monograph). SDV217976.

This road may be part of the Roman road with associated with the Roman signal station.

King, A. C., 1979, A30 Okehampton Bypass: Final Report, No. 37 (Report - Survey). SDV343861.

Road shown on Courtenay estate map of 1780.

Dyer, M. J. + Manning, P. T., 1988 - 1998, Objective 5B: Okehampton to Polson Bridge Recreation and Land Management Initiative: Cultural Heritage Appraisal, 20 (Report - Assessment). SDV266287.

Weddell, P. J. + Pye, A. R., 1990, A30 Okehampton Bypass to Launceston Bypass Archaeological Assessment Part 1: Summary Report and Recommendations, 5 (Report - Assessment). SDV264659.

The road is exceptionally well preserved over much of its length, and represents one of the very few instances in Devon where the line of a Roman road survives as a visible monument.

Pye, A. R., 1990, A30 Okehampton Bypass to Launceston Bypass Archaeological Assessment Part 2: Archaeological Evaluation of Sourton Down, 5, 7, 11 (Report - Assessment). SDV346205.

Shown on maps of 1765, 1800, 1809 and 1827. On the 1844 map the trackway is not depicted, and it forms a solid boundary line only at the western end. The road embankment was identified during an archaeological evaluation. A trench cut across the embankment revealed three road surfaces. The earliest, a compact gravel metalling surviving to 11.5 metres wide was interpreted as the truncated remains of a Roman road. This was overlain by a thin layer of turf containing a medieval pot sherd. Overlying this was a stone surface circa 4.0 metres wide which contained two possible ruts. A shallow ditch alongside the southern edge of the road may be contemporary with this phase. Later another heavily worn cobbled surface was laid on a bedding of clay.

Griffith, F., 1991, DAP/UQ (Aerial Photograph). SDV253710.

Reed, S. J., 1994, Archaeological Evaluation at East Linnacombe Farm, Sourton Down, 1 (Report - Evaluation). SDV346233.

Parts of the Roman alignment remained in use until the early 19th century as local trackways. By 1844 it had fallen out of use. The alignment is thought to have broadly followed the line of the existing trackway across the down, rejoining Bowerland Road near the railway bridge.

Weddell, P. J. + Reed, S. J., 1997, Excavations at Sourton Down 1986-1991: Roman Road, Deserted Medieval Hamlet and other Landscape Features, 39-147 (Article in Serial). SDV346224.

Dyer, M. J., 1997, Two Castles Trail Survey, Workshet (Worksheet). SDV269358.

roman road on Linnacombe Moor. Road surface excavated in advance of new A30 construction.

Fleming, A., 2012, Devon's Early Roads: Devon Archaeological Society Presidential Lecture 2011, 15, Fig. 9 (Article in Serial). SDV351751.

Roman road leading towards Hatherleigh.

English Heritage, 2013, Radiocarbon Dates from Samples Funded by English Heritage Between 1988 and 1993, 1 (Report - Scientific). SDV351472.

A further section of the Roman road was excavated (area 3), located at SX 54199161, where a medieval culvert cut across it. Here, the primary road surface comprised a layer of tightly-packed stones set into clay. This sealed a buried soil, beneath which were flecks of charcoal from root holes cut into the natural subsoil. Samples of this charcoal were also submitted for radiocarbon dating (OxA-3621–2). The surviving road surface was 4.4m wide and was flanked by ditches 5.6m apart. After the ditches had silted up, a second surface was laid on top of the first. Before the establishment of the early medieval settlement, the road was raised by a series of layers, upon which was laid a surface of local stone.

Bluesky International Ltd/Getmapping PLC, 2015-2017, 2015-2017 Aerial Photographs (Aerial Photograph). SDV361462.

Course of Roman road visible as earthwork and field boundaries across Sourton Down towards Bowerland Cross.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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