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Summary

A largely abandoned enclosure of 16.5 hectares bounded by turf and stone banks with an external ditch.

Location

Protected Status

• SHINE: Earthwork and walling remains of a Medieval Field System and enclosures at Babeny, the field boundaries preserved in the modern field system
• Scheduled Monument 1018930: Two irregular aggregate field systems with associated settlements, part of a coaxial field system, boundary stones and historic fields on Riddon Ridge

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX67NE129
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 912854
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX67NE/256/1
• Old SAM Ref: 28733

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• FIELD BOUNDARY (Constructed, Early Medieval to Early 20th Century - 1066 AD (Between) to 1901 AD (Between))
• FIELD SYSTEM (Constructed, Early Medieval to Early 20th Century - 1066 AD (Between) to 1901 AD (Between))
• RIDGE AND FURROW (Constructed, Early Medieval to Early 20th Century - 1066 AD (Between) to 1901 AD (Between))

Full description

Royal Commission for the Historical Monuments of England, 1987-1993, Duchy Farms Project Survey Visit (Report - Survey). SDV350839.

(27/08/1992) Centred SX 67007575. A largely abandoned enclosure of 16.5ha in area is located on the southern flank of Riddon Ridge immediately north of Babeny Farm. The area is enclosed by a turf and stone bank up to 2.5m wide and 1.1m high with an external ditch 1.4m wide and 0.5m deep. Parts of the outer face of the bank is formed of coursed stonework or upright slabs. The interior is subdivided by turf and stone banks into four fields, one of which is still in use as pasture. The remainder displays substantial areas of ridge-and-furrow mostly orientated against the contours. The ridges measure 2.6m wide and up to 0.25m high. This enclosure would appear to be medieval in origin and probably formed a newtake to Babeny Farm.
Clearly visible on the ground beneath the ridge-and-furrow and bisected by the enclosure bank and ditch are traces of a well-developed parallel reave system (SX 67 NE 137). Three of the later internal divisions overlie earlier reaves.
For detailed 1:2500 plan see RCHME Riddon Ridge survey.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 152127 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

(17/03/1999) Historic field system on Riddon Ridge. Within the coaxial field system there is an area of historic fields denoted on its outer edge by a corn ditch. Within the field system, the individual fields are denoted by banks and within the fields themselves are slight traces of narrow ridge and furrows.

GeoInformation Group Ltd, 2010, 1:625 2010 Colour (12.5cm resolution) (Aerial Photograph). SDV346026.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8296 - Dartmeet Premier Archaeological Landscape (PAL) Field Investigation Project
• EDV8409 - Dartmoor Royal Forest Project
• EDV8423 - Duchy Farms Project

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