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Summary

A ring ditch of prehistoric date is visible as a cropmark ditch on oblique aerial photographs of 1985 within Exeter Golf and Country Club, Countess Wear.

Location

Protected Status

• SHINE: Two prehistoric ring ditches south west of Countess Cross
• SHINE: Two prehistoric ring ditches south west of Countess Cross

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: 1046637
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX98NW/118

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• RING DITCH (Prehistoric - 698000 BC to 42 AD (Between))

Full description

Untitled Source (Aerial Photograph). SDV22741.

Aph=dap/fi 2(23/7/1985).

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV22742.

Des=dprfp 1989(and photo j 14).

DPRFP, Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV262469.

Small annular dark mark diam 10-12m. Recorded from the air 1985 (ap). Vis=3/2/1989 (robinson). Level close mown golf course. Nothing visible (dprfp).

Devon County Council, 1985, DAP 5501, DAP 5501/2 23-JUL-1985 (Aerial Photograph). SDV354834.

The ring ditch is visible as a circular cropmark ditch.

Richard Sims, 2013-14, Personal Comment and Aerial Photograph Interpretation (Personal Comment). SDV356636.

Archaeological excavations carried out by R.Sims on land at the former Royal Naval Stores Depot during 2012, approximately 300m to the east, exposed a number of similar sized ring ditches complete with internal postholes and interpreted as Iron Age to Romano-British roundhouses. It is highly possible that this ring ditch similary represents the remains of a prehistoric roundhouse.

Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R., 2013-2014, South Devon Coast Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey National Mapping Programme Project (Interpretation). SDV351146.

A ring ditch of prehistoric date is visible as a cropmark ditch on oblique aerial photographs of 1985 within Exeter Golf and Country Club, Countess Wear. The ring ditch is circular in shape and measures approximately 16m in diameter, with a break in the ditch to the east and southwest. It is more likely that the ring ditch represents the remains of an Iron Age to Romano-British roundhouse, an interpretation that is supported by the excavation of several roundhouses to the east of the site at the former Royal Naval Stores Depot. A second possible but smaller ring ditch was also visible approximately 20 to the northeast, although was not mapped as part of this survey (falling outside of the study area) and also bears close likeness to a fungal ring, a number of which were observed on aerial photographs across the golf and country club. The ring ditch and probable fungal ring were not visible on other aerial photographs or digital images made available to the survey.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV22741	Aerial Photograph:
SDV22742	Migrated Record:
SDV262469	Migrated Record: DPRFP.
SDV351146	Interpretation: Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R.. 2013-2014. South Devon Coast Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey National Mapping Programme Project. AC Archaeology Report. Digital.
	Linked documents:1
SDV354834	Aerial Photograph: Devon County Council. 1985. DAP 5501. Devon Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). DAP 5501/2 23-JUL-1985. [Mapped feature: #89478 ]
SDV356636	Personal Comment: Richard Sims. 2013-14. Personal Comment and Aerial Photograph Interpretation.

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV6127 - Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey National Mapping Programme (NMP) for South-West England - South Coast Devon (Ref: ACD618)

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