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Summary

A range of earthwork features associated with the possible former medieval farmstead of Middle Halsdon are visible on aerial photographs of 1946 onwards. The earthworks remain partly visible on aerial photographs of 2000 and on digital images derived from LiDAR data captured between 1998-2012.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SY08SW/307

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• SETTLEMENT (Early Medieval to XIX - 1066 AD to 1900 AD (Between))

Full description

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV109077.

Des=ntas/lower halsdon farm, exmouth/(1999) 11.

National Trust, Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV5615.

Vis=-/2/1999 (national trust) possible site of middle halsdon farm/poundhouse. Halsdon comprised 3 tenements by some time in medieval period, not always clear which property being referred to in documents. First clear reference to middle halsdon is in auction notice of 1808, which refers to two dwelling houses, 3 acres of orchard and 22 acres of land.2 buildings shown on os 1" map (1809) also appear on tithe map, but by 1890 (os 25" map) the e building had gone and w building had changed shape, and by 1905 (os 25" map) it was smaller. By 1839, recorded as being part of lower halsdon, and e building within field recorded as poundhouse and orchard, w building not recorded. Poundhouse first mentioned in 1806, being auctioned as part of lower halsdon farm, but not clear if same buildings. Little survives above ground, but possible buried remains beneath turf. Of possible poundhouse, a small fragment of lime mortar bonded stone wall , 2m long and 0.30m wide, is visible in hedgebank on n side of green lane. In w facing slope of field behind, an earthwork suggests that building was terraced into hill slope in n-s cutting of 7m x 10m max, with possible access from both levels. Site of w building represented by v low earthwork platform 12m x 35m. Few pieces of sandstone near field boundary may have come from building (national trust).

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

The possible earthwork building platforms appear to be associated with the buildings depicted on the Withycombe parish tithe map of approximately 1838-48, although the former field boundaries appear to have fallen out of use.

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

The remaining building of Middle Halsdon is depicted on the First Edition Ordnance Survey map of the 1880’s-90’s.

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/106G/UK/1412, RAF/106G/UK/1412 RS 4034-35 13-APR-1946 (Aerial Photograph). SDV352504.

A range of earthwork features representing possible building platforms and relict field boundaries are visible.

Royal Air Force, 1950, RAF/58/369, RAF/58/369 V 5064-65 27-FEB-1950 (Aerial Photograph). SDV355804.

A range of earthwork features representing possible building platforms and relict field boundaries are visible.

Environment Agency, 1998-2012, Lidar data JPEG SX98SE DSM, LIDAR SX98SE DSM Environment Agency 1998-2012 (Cartographic). SDV355438.

A former field boundary remains visible as a slight earthwork bank.

Ordnance Survey, 2000, OS/00077, OS/00077 V 037-38 10-APR-2000 (Aerial Photograph). SDV355701.

The earthworks of a possible building platform remain partly visible.

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

A range of earthwork features associated with the possible former medieval farmstead of Middle Halsdon are visible on aerial photographs of 1946 onwards. The earthworks remain partly visible on aerial photographs of 2000 and on digital images derived from LiDAR data captured between 1998-2012. The earthworks are located within agricultural land on the eastern side of the extant farmstead of Lower Halsdon. They comprise what appears to represent three rectilinear earthwork building platforms and two parallel northeast to southwest aligned earthwork banks representing former field boundaries. The earthwork building platforms likely relate to the medieval farmstead of Middle Halsdon, in which two buildings are depicted on the parish tithe map of approximately 1838-48. The southern of the two buildings, which is also depicted on the Ordnance Survey First Edition map of the 1880’s-90’s, likely corresponds to the northeastern most earthwork platform transcribed as part of this survey. The remaining two earthwork platforms, one of which has been truncated by a later trackway, may thus indicate the presence of an additional range of buildings or structures which fell out of use by the time of the tithe map, possibly as part of a shrunken hamlet. The two relict field boundaries to the southwest, which also appear to have fallen out of use by this time, may represent part of a contemporary field system based on medieval strip fields. The earthwork platforms and former field boundaries remain partly visible on both aerial photographs of 2000 and on digital images derived from LiDAR data captured between 1998-2012. Further field work including earthwork survey and geophysical survey may shed further light on the nature of the remains of Middle Halsdon.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV109077	Migrated Record:
SDV336179	Cartographic: Ordnance Survey. 1880-1899. First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map. First Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map. Map (Digital).
SDV349431	Cartographic: Devon County Council. 1838-1848. Tithe Mosaic, approximately 1838-1848. Digitised Tithe Map. Digital.
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
SDV352504	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1946. RAF/106G/UK/1412. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/106G/UK/1412 RS 4034-35 13-APR-1946.
SDV355438	Cartographic: Environment Agency. 1998-2012. Lidar data JPEG SX98SE DSM. Environment Agency LiDAR data. Digital. LIDAR SX98SE DSM Environment Agency 1998-2012.
SDV355701	Aerial Photograph: Ordnance Survey. 2000. OS/00077. Ordnance Survey. Photograph (Paper). OS/00077 V 037-38 10-APR-2000.
SDV355804	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1950. RAF/58/369. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/58/369 V 5064-65 27-FEB-1950. [Mapped feature: #96751 ]
SDV5615	Migrated Record: National Trust.

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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