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Summary

Extensive pre-Inclosure trackways, possibly of medieval origin, are visible as a series of braided earthwork channels on aerial photographs of 1948 onwards and on digital images derived from aerial photographs of 2014, across Brown Down Wood and Robins Hood Butts. The trackways cross the Devon and Somerset border.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: ST21SW/73

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• FIELD SYSTEM (Unknown date)
• TRACKWAY (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD (Between))

Full description

APH/R.PALMER, Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV114556.

Extensive system of tracks and boundaries identified on ap, extends into somerset. Includes one area of possible ridge and furrow (aph, palmer).

APH, Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV114558.

Tracks on broad down (west) recorded on 1997 ap (aph).

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV114559.

Des=emafu blackdown hills survey 1992 archive.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV114560.

Des=palmer, r. /blackdown hills aonb aerial photographic assessment/1992.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV114561.

Des=horner, w. /(15/1/1997)/as above.

Untitled Source (Aerial Photograph). SDV114562.

Aph=raf/cpe/uk/2491/4185/(11/3/1948)/smr 23/2.

Untitled Source (Aerial Photograph). SDV114563.

Aph=slide/(29/10/1997)/in smr.

Horner, B., Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV1669.

The tracks are on drain down and on the w side of the b3170. The bulk of visible features on the raf ap of 1948 appear to be n-s trackways, precursors of the b3170 on brown down and an abandoned route from broadways head to robin hood's butts crossroads (st23701187-st23851275), replaced by broad down lane. The "ridge and furrow" on broad down wood, beside the road, may be narrow-rig or associated with woodland management (horner).

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

The earthworks likely pre-date the field boundaries and plantations shown in this location.

Royal Air Force, 1948, RAF/CPE/UK/2491, RAF/CPE/UK/2491 RS 4185 & 4207 11-MAR-1948 (Aerial Photograph). SDV359578.

A series of earthwork channels are visible. Map object partly based on this source.

Royal Air Force, 1971, RAF/39/3821, RAF/39/3821 V 281 29-OCT-1971 (Aerial Photograph). SDV359591.

A series of earthwork channels are visible. Map object partly based on this source.

Royal Air Force, 1971, RAF/39/3829, RAF/39/3829 V 116 11-NOV-1971 (Aerial Photograph). SDV359524.

A series of earthwork channels are visible. Map object partly based on this source.

Horner, B. + Whitton, C., 2004, Brown Down, Yarcombe (Un-published). SDV358372.

Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R., 2016-2018, The Blackdown Hills AONB and East Devon River Catchments National Mapping Programme Project (Interpretation). SDV359463.

Extensive pre-Inclosure trackways, possibly of medieval origin, are visible as a series of braided earthwork channels on aerial photographs of 1948 onwards and on digital images derived from aerial photographs of 2014, across Brown Down Wood and Robins Hood Butts. The trackways cross the Devon and Somerset border. The sinuous and linear earthworks broadly stretch from Westfield and Woodhayne Farm in the east (ST24631252), westwards towards Martin’s Farm (ST23161241), and from two legs in the south at Drake Farm (ST24171178) and Brown Down Lane (ST23741200), to the northwest where they converge at a road intersection with the B3170 (ST23201418). The earthworks would seem to represent well established lines of communication, rather than purely for sporadic agricultural use. The trackways which stretch from Brown Down Lane in the south to the B3170 in the north, for example, likely connected up the two sections of road here as part of a continuous route way. The trackways are probably pre-Inclosure in date. Although much of the area is shown as open common land on the First Edition Ordnance Survey map, the post-medieval field boundaries which are visible here clearly cut across these trackways. Given the density and complexity of earthworks visible here on aerial photographs and digital images, it was not possible to individual record each of the trackways. Instead, the approximate extent of the earthworks was defined by an extent of area, with the more substantial and better defined earthworks being individually transcribed to characterise the nature of the trackways. Since these trackways extend into Somerset, this record has been duplicated in the Somerset HER and appended to record 45527.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV114556	Migrated Record: APH/R.PALMER.
SDV114558	Migrated Record: APH.
SDV114559	Migrated Record:
SDV114560	Migrated Record:
SDV114561	Migrated Record:
SDV114562	Aerial Photograph:
SDV114563	Aerial Photograph:
SDV1669	Migrated Record: Horner, B..
SDV336179	Cartographic: Ordnance Survey. 1880-1899. First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map. First Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map. Map (Digital).
SDV358372	Un-published: Horner, B. + Whitton, C.. 2004. Brown Down, Yarcombe. A4 Stapled + Digital.
SDV359463	Interpretation: Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R.. 2016-2018. The Blackdown Hills AONB and East Devon River Catchments National Mapping Programme Project. Historic England Research Report. Digital.
	Linked documents:2
SDV359524	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1971. RAF/39/3829. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/39/3829 V 116 11-NOV-1971.
SDV359578	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1948. RAF/CPE/UK/2491. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/CPE/UK/2491 RS 4185 & 4207 11-MAR-1948.
SDV359591	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1971. RAF/39/3821. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/39/3821 V 281 29-OCT-1971.

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV7508 - The Blackdown Hills AONB and East Devon River Catchments National Mapping Programme (NMP) project (Ref: ACD1228)

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