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Summary

Excavations along the line of the A379 link road confirmed the presence of a substantial Bronze Age enclosure, first identified by cropmarks on aerial photographs. Within the enclosure was a single roundhouse. Several possibly contemporary structures were also noted outside the enclosure, within a larger outer enclosure. Structured depositions of pottery and other artefacts were found in the terminals of the enclosure ditches.

Location

Protected Status

• SHINE: Prehistoric rectangular, single ditched enclosure north of Lavender Lodge

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX99SE/114

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• ENCLOSURE (Bronze Age - 2200 BC to 701 BC (Between))

Full description

W SIDE NOT VISIBLE, Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV22728.

Ne of st. Bridget's nurseries. Rectangular single ditched enclosure, (w side not visible) of side 60-70m. Recorded as cropmark by f. Griffith in july 1984.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV22732.

Des=dprfp 1990(and photo n1).

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV22733.

Turton, s. D. + weddell, p. J. /archaeological assessment of a proposed redevelopment site at digby hosptial, rydon lane, exeter/(1992)5/(emafu report 92.59).

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV22734.

Ea/archaeological assessment of land at woodwater park, exeter/(1998)4/(ea report 98.78).

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV22735.

Des=exeter archaeology/archaeological assessment of a proposed development site on land adjacent to the tesco store, digby/(2001)5-6/ea report 01.06.

DPRFP, Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV262469.

Vis=23/9/1990 (robinson) lies on gentle s slope, nothing visible. Barbed and tanged arrowhead found on site by metal detectorist at time of visit (dprfp).

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV79.

Linear boundary alignments of a field system may be associated with this feature (ea).

Devon County Council, 1984, DAP/AR, Devon County Council DAP/AR 12 02-JUL-1984 (Aerial Photograph). SDV305058.

The enclosure and possible associated ditches are visible as a series of cropmarks. Map object based on this source.

Griffith, F. M., 1995, DAP/XY, Devon County Council DAP/XY 1 04-JUL-1995 (Aerial Photograph). SDV321072.

The enclosure and possible associated ditches are visible as a series of cropmarks. Map object based on this source.

Raymond, F., 2006, An Archaeological Desk-Based Assessment of The Newcourt Area - Lower RNSD Site and Land Alongside Old Rydon Lane and the A379, Topsham (Report - non-specific). SDV349909.

Raymond, F., 2006, An Archaeological Desk-Based Assessment of The Newcourt Area - Lower RNSD Site and Land Alongside Old Rydon Lane and the A379, Topsham, 16 (Report - non-specific). SDV349909.

Cropmark located close to the line of the northern spine road link.

Gilbert, D., 2010, Evaluation in the Corridor of the Proposed Road Linking the A379 to Old Rydon Lane, Topsham (Report - Evaluation). SDV349138.

Gilbert, D., 2012, A Bronze Age Enclosure with Extramural Structures and Field System on Land to the North of Old Rydon Lane, Exeter, 67-85 (Article in Serial). SDV351755.

Excavations along the line of the A379 link road confirmed the presence of a substantial Bronze Age enclosure, first identified by cropmarks on aerial photographs. Within the enclosure was a single roundhouse with a double ring of postholes.
About one third of the enclosure, which was trapezoidal in shape, lay within the road corridor. The eastern side of the enclosure was fomed by a single ditch, 49.5 metres long, 1.12-2.0 metres wide and up to 0.5 metres deep, which curved around to the west to form the northern side of the enclosure.
There appeared to be a small gate structure in the south-east corner of the enclosure, the gap here being closed by a short gully that was shallower that the main ditch.
The ditch, 1.5 metres wide and up to 0.4 metres deep, forming the southern side of the enclosure terminated about 15 metres from the south-east corner. There was then a gap of 0.3 metres and a short, 3.5 metre length of similar sized ditch before another wider gap of 4.7 metres. The third length of ditch forming the continuation of the southern side of the enclosure was only traced for 4.0 metres along its length.
Within the western terminal (01/013) of the short ditch between the two gaps was found part of a broken Bronze Age vessel, a stone mace-head and a quern fragment.
Geophysical survey and excavation also revealed what may have been an outer enclosed area to the south and west of the main enclosure. An entranceway was exposed on the southern side and the rounded ditch terminals produced a quantity of Bronze Age pottery. A number of structures were revealed within the area of the putative outer enclosure.
To the west of the outer enclosure was a series of ditches thought to represent the remains of a field system.

Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R., 2014-2015, East and Mid Devon River Catchments National Mapping Programme Project (Interpretation). SDV356883.

An enclosure ditch with possible associated linear features of potential prehistoric to Romano-British date are visible as a series of cropmarks on specialist oblique aerial photographs of 1984 and 1995, to the northeast of St. Bridget’s Nurseries. The enclosure is rectilinear in shape, measures approximately 60m in length by 48m in width and is sited on gentle southeast facing slope. It is defined by a fairly rounded corner to the west and a more angular corner to the east, although those to both the north and south were not visible. A series of linear cropmarks are visible to the south and west of the enclosure and may represent the partial remains of a contemporary field system, or may equally be of later date.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV22728	Migrated Record: W SIDE NOT VISIBLE.
SDV22732	Migrated Record:
SDV22733	Migrated Record:
SDV22734	Migrated Record:
SDV22735	Migrated Record:
SDV262469	Migrated Record: DPRFP.
SDV305058	Aerial Photograph: Devon County Council. 1984. DAP/AR. Devon Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). Devon County Council DAP/AR 12 02-JUL-1984.
SDV321072	Aerial Photograph: Griffith, F. M.. 1995. DAP/XY. Devon Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). Devon County Council DAP/XY 1 04-JUL-1995.
SDV349138	Report - Evaluation: Gilbert, D.. 2010. Evaluation in the Corridor of the Proposed Road Linking the A379 to Old Rydon Lane, Topsham. John Moore Heritage Services Report. 1928. A4 stapled + Digital.
SDV349909	Report - non-specific: Raymond, F.. 2006. An Archaeological Desk-Based Assessment of The Newcourt Area - Lower RNSD Site and Land Alongside Old Rydon Lane and the A379, Topsham. John Moore Heritage Services Report. A4 Stapled + Digital.
SDV351755	Article in Serial: Gilbert, D.. 2012. A Bronze Age Enclosure with Extramural Structures and Field System on Land to the North of Old Rydon Lane, Exeter. Proceedings of the Devon Archaeological Society. 70. Paperback Volume. 67-85.
SDV356883	Interpretation: Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R.. 2014-2015. East and Mid Devon River Catchments National Mapping Programme Project. AC Archaeology Report. Digital.
	Linked documents:1
SDV79	Migrated Record:

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV5743 - Evaluation, A379 to Old Rydon Lane (Ref: 1928)
• EDV6530 - The East and Mid-Devon Rivers Catchment NMP project (Ref: ACD613)

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