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Summary

The stone and earthwork remains of a field system, located on a steep slope between Soar Mill Cove and the Soar Mill Cove Hotel/West Soar are visible in the field and on aerial photographs. Field systems of this kind are difficult to date and it is possible that the boundaries at Soar Mill Cove have later prehistoric origins or represent the remains of Medieval or Post Medieval land division. These north facing slopes between Soar Mill Cove and West Soar are often in shadow or covered in dense vegetation on air photographs and lidar images so there are almost certainly more remains than those seen from the air. The western half of the field system, nearest Soar Mill Cove, is scheduled.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1020578: Regular aggregate field system 480m west of West Soar
• SHINE: Earthworks, structures, cropmarks and artefact scatters of prehistoric field system, remains of prehistoric barrow, medieval farmsteads and rabbit warren, 18th-19th century watch towers and World War Two RAF Bolt Head Airfield, at East Soar, Malborough

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: 1368756
• National Trust SMR: 100,536
• National Trust SMR: 100,554
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX63NE/62
• Old SAM Ref: 34888
• SHINE Candidate (Yes)

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• FIELD SYSTEM (Early Bronze Age to Post Medieval - 2200 BC to 1750 AD (Between))

Full description

Ancient Monuments, Untitled Source (Report - Survey). SDV173425.

Vis=est -/-/2001 (ancient monuments) regular aggregate field system 480m w of west soar.

AM, Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV173426.

Forms part of regular aggregate field system on steeply sloping heathland on s side of soar mill cove. The w edge of the monument falls 40m to the sea. Includes several sub-rectangular fields laid out on a ne-sw axis. It is the best preserved part of a wider system which extends for a further 190m to se. Three long boundaries follow the valley side for up to 480m, falling sharply down the steep coastal slope to the w. Intermediate boundaries on various alignments divide the fields into trapezoidal plots of regular size. The boundary banks vary between 2m + 4m wide and are from 0.5m to 1.3m high, containing occasional vertical earthfast stone slabs, set close together. These slabs are about 0.5m wide, 0.2m thick and stand up to 1.3m high. All path surfacings, fenceposts + noticeboard supports are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath them is included (am).

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV173427.

Des=ancient monuments/(1/11/2002)/as above.

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/CPE/UK/1890, NMR RAF/CPE/UK/1890 2025-6 10-DEC-1946 (Aerial Photograph). SDV351061.

Linear earthwork banks are visible.

Thackray, C., 1990, Archaeological Survey of the Salcombe Estuary: West (Bolt Head to Bolt Tail and Snapes Point) Devon, 15, 24 (Report - Survey). SDV345519.

Remnants of field system persist on the area below Hazel Tor, and at the west end of The Warren and the eastern side of Soar Mill Cove. These remains are accompanied by isolated bits of orthostat walling at approximately SX700374 and SX70093753. On the cliff-slope on the east side of Soar Mill Cove is a short length of field wall, made of slab-like orthostats of mica schist on edge, forming two faces of a wall which was presumably filled with earth and rubble. This technique of wall construction can also be seen in better preserved walls on the property, sometimes adjoining or incorporated into more modern walls.

Environment Agency, 2001, LiDAR data JPEG image (1 metre resolution), LIDAR SX6836 Environment Agency D0015385 30-MAY-2001 (Cartographic). SDV351426.

Linear earthwork banks are visible.

Environment Agency, 2001, LiDAR data JPEG image (1 metre resolution), LIDAR SX7038 Environment Agency D0015388 30-MAY-2001 (Cartographic). SDV351426.

Linear earthwork banks are visible.

Environment Agency, 2007, LiDAR data JPEG image (1 metre resolution), LIDAR SX7037 Environment Agency D0079376-7 31-MAR-2007 (Cartographic). SDV351410.

Linear earthwork banks are visible.

Winton, H. + Bowden, M., 2009, East Soar, Devon: Air Photo Assessment and Survey (Report - Survey). SDV351406.

Mill Cove Hotel/West Soar and were seen on aerial photographs and airbourne laser scanning (lidar) images. Field systems of this kind are difficult to date and it is possible that the boundaries at Soar Mill Cove have Bronze Age, or later prehistoric, origins but it is equally likely that they represent the remains of Medieval or Post Medieval land division. The north facing slopes between Soar Mill Cove and West Soar are often in shadow, or covered in dense
vegetation, on air photographs. The lidar data was seen as 1m or 2m resolution jpeg images only. Therefore, there are almost certainly more remains than those seen from the air. The western half of the field system, nearest Soar Mill Cove, is covered by the description above.
The remains extend discontinuously over an area measuring 580m by 190m between SX 7030 3765, SX 7033 3753, SX 7005 3748, SX 6979 3738, SX 6977 3755 and SX 7010 3764.

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

All East Soar Air Photo Assessment and Survey (SDV351406) details were accessioned to the Devon HER as part of the South Devon Coast Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey National Mapping Programme Project.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV173425	Report - Survey: Ancient Monuments.
SDV173426	Migrated Record: AM.
SDV173427	Migrated Record:
SDV345519	Report - Survey: Thackray, C.. 1990. Archaeological Survey of the Salcombe Estuary: West (Bolt Head to Bolt Tail and Snapes Point) Devon. National Trust Archaeological Survey Report. A4 Comb Bound + Digital. 15, 24.
SDV351061	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1946. RAF/CPE/UK/1890. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). NMR RAF/CPE/UK/1890 2025-6 10-DEC-1946.
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
SDV351406	Report - Survey: Winton, H. + Bowden, M.. 2009. East Soar, Devon: Air Photo Assessment and Survey. English Heritage. 50-2009. Digital + A4.
SDV351410	Cartographic: Environment Agency. 2007. LiDAR data JPEG image (1 metre resolution). Environment Agency LiDAR data. Digital. LIDAR SX7037 Environment Agency D0079376-7 31-MAR-2007.
SDV351426	Cartographic: Environment Agency. 2001. LiDAR data JPEG image (1 metre resolution). Environment Agency LiDAR data. Digital. LIDAR SX6836 Environment Agency D0015385 30-MAY-2001.

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV4935 - Archaeological Survey from Bolt Head to Bolt Tail and Snapes Point
• EDV6587 - Archaeological Assessment of Land between Bolt Heat and Bolt Tail

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