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Summary

Hollow way to the east of Little Pill farmstead abandoned by the late 17th or early 18th century

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SS53SE/558/1

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• TRACKWAY (Early Medieval to XVIII - 1066 AD to 1800 AD (Between))

Full description

Chris Blandford Associates, 1997, Barnstaple Western Bypass and Urban Relief Road Stage 4. Environmental Assessment Phase A, 13 (Report - Assessment). SDV347381.

Wessex Archaeology, 2004, Barnstaple Western Bypass: Archaeological Evaluation Report, 8, Figs 1, 3 (Report - Evaluation). SDV68144.

Excavation and topographic survey during the 2003 evaluation demonstrated that the hollow way continued from 'Little Pill' farmstead to the east. The track was 5 metres wide by up to 0.6 metres deep was filled with stones and clay containing 17th century pottery and glass. A residual medieval sherd was also recovered. The hollow way possibly turned south to the relict watercourse at SS55883169.

Crockett, A., 2005, Barnstaple Western Bypass: Archaeological excavation, assessment and updated archaeological design, 6,11-29, Figs 1-6 (Report - Excavation). SDV320777.

An excavation undertaken in 2005 to examine the route and nature of the hollow way to the east of 'Little Pill' found that the track had been abandoned by the late 17th or early 18th century. Trench 53 intersected the east to west section of the hollow way. It exposed a track 6.3 metres wide by up to 0.4 metres deep with a roughly cobbled gravel surface at the base. Medieval and post medieval artefacts were recovered from the fills. Trench 52 intersected the north to south section of the hollow way and was represented by two broadly north to south aligned ditches which produced sherds of medieval pottery. The western ditch 2.2 metres wide by 0.5 metres deep running almost parallel to the River Taw may have been a medieval field boundary.The eastern ditch 2.4 metres wide by 0.7 metres deep was not quite parallel to the western ditch. It was not possible to confirm the stratigraphic relationship between the two ditches.

Lewis, D., Sept 2011, Land at Larkbear, Barnstaple: Archaeological Desk-based Assessment, 11 (Report - Assessment). SDV352261.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV5096 - Barnstaple Western Bypass Geophysical Survey
• EDV867 - Barnstaple Western Bypass: Archaeological evaluation report
• EDV868 - Archaeological Excavation of Barnstaple Western Bypass
• EDV5099 - Barnstaple Western Bypass Evaluation

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