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Summary

Excavations at Town Farm revealed two timber-built wells, preserved by water-logging. One was plank-lined, the other made from a section of hollowed-out tree trunk. The wells were initially thought to date to the Iron Age and the remains of a leather shoe found in the hollowed tree trunk was therefore originally claimed to be Britain's oldest shoe. Subsequent dendrochronological analysis showed the wells to be 7th century in date. The leather produced a calibrated radiocarbon date of AD640-760, slightly earlier than the hollowed trunk in which it was found suggesting that it was lost sometime before the setting of the trunk, possibly during the use of the plank-lined feature and that it fell into the trunk as it infilled.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• WELL (VII - 601 AD to 700 AD) + Sci.Date

Full description

BBC News Website, 10th May 2005, 2005, 7. Iron Age Shoe Unearthed At Quarry (Article in Serial). SDV352745.

BBC News website article, 10th May 2005. 'What we have now found is a Bronze Age 'industrial site' consisting of two mounds of burnt stone - dated to 1460 to 1290 BC - and two water-filled troughs'.

Reed, S. + Best, J., 2005, Britain's Oldest Shoe - and Two Wells, 318-319 (Article in Serial). SDV357289.

The excavation of an Iron Age well at Burlescombe has produced what appears to be Britain's oldest shoe.

BBC News Website, 2005, Iron Age Shoe Unearthed at Quarry, 10-11 (Article in Serial). SDV322361.

Excavations at Town Farm by Exeter Archaeology unearthed two timber-built wells, preserved by water-logging and probably dating from the early part of the Iron Age. One of the wells was constructed over a spring using a hollowed tree trunk set into the ground. The remains of a leather shoe were found in the tree trunk. The shoe, which is the equivalent of a size 10, is so well preserved that stitch and lace holes are still visible in the leather. As far as is known, this is the oldest shoe found in the United Kingdom. The hollowed tree trunk was one of two timber-built wells found on the site thought to date from the early part of the Iron Age.

Best, J. + Gent, T., 2007, Bronze Age Burnt Mounds and Early Medieval Timber Structures at Town Farm Quarry, Burlescombe, Devon (Article in Serial). SDV360988.

A multi-period site was exposed during topsoil stripping at Town Farm Quarry. Features included two timber wells constructed during the later seventh century and located to take advantage of the water table.
The easternmost was the earliest well or springhead and was built of worked oak timbers, many of which had been reused. Dendrochronological analysis of the timbers indicated that construction took place in AD629. Environmental analysis found some evidence for cereal cultivation. Flax seeds and capsules were also recovered from the fill of the springhead suggesting that the water was used for flax retting.
The western well comprised a hollowed tree trunk of poplar or willow set within a stake and wattle lined pit. Calibrated radiocarbon dating suggests that the tree trunk was felled circa AD4680-780. A leather shoe was found in the trunk.
See report for full details.

Gent, T., 2007, Bronze Age Burnt Mounds and Early Medieval Wells at Town Farm Quarry, Burlescombe, 35-45 (Article in Serial). SDV344682.

Two wells dated to the 7th century AD found during excavation around a natural spring by Exeter Archaeology prior to quarrying. A plank-lined springhead with a timber channel were surrounded by a shallow hollow probably created during construction and use of the well. Running to the east was the truncated remains of a launder. Dendrochronological analysis of timbers from the springhead indiacted that construction occurred during the Spring of AD629 and that infilling began probably immediately afterwards. To the west was a section of hollowed out tree trunk, probably of poplar or willow, set in a pit and surrounded by the remains of wattling. Dating from the trunk and from charcoal associated with it indicated a date between AD660 and AD760 and indicates a continuing need for clean water following the silting up of the earlier springhead.
A leather shoe was found within the hollowed trunk. The shoe, made from a single piece of bovine leather, was approximately 250 millimetres long by 120 millimetres wide across the tread. The leather produced a calibrated radio carbon date of AD640-760. This is some 50-100 years earlier than that of the tree trunk within which it was found suggesting the shoe was lost some time before the setting of the trunk, possibly during the use of the plank-lined feature and that it fell into the trunk as it infilled.
See report for further details.

Tyers, I., 2007, Town Quarry Farm, Burlescombe, Devon: Dendrochronalogical Analysis of Oak Timbers, 3 (Report - Scientific). SDV347254.

A total of 22 of the 40 dendrochronological samples obtained from the site were derived from the eastern of the two wells on the site Of these, 18 were found to contain enough annual rings to be measured, and 15 of these were found to cross-match, yeilding a single 208 year composite sequence. A number of statistically significant matches were obtained between the sequence and reference series indicating the sequence dates from AD 421 - 628 inclusive. Sample 358 is complete to bark edge, and this sample was felled in the spring of AD 629. Other details: Figures 2-3.

Scott Wilson, 2008, Hanson Town Farm, Devon. Archaeological Desk-Based Assessment, 9, Sites 6 and 7 (Report - Assessment). SDV344495.

Reference to the wells.

Bayliss, A. + Cook, G. + Ramsey, C. B. + van der Plicht, J. + McCormac, G., 2008, Radiocarbon Dates from Samples Funded by English Heritage under the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund 2004-7, 49-51 (Report - Scientific). SDV364816.

The radiocarbon results correspond with dendrochronology and identify an early medieval date for the plank-lined springhead (678), which appears to have been built shortly before the documented Saxon arrival in the area. They also indicate that plank-lined springhead (678) almost certainly predates the hollowed trunk (693).

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds

• FDV383 - SHOE (VII to VIII - 640 AD to 760 AD)

Associated Events

• EDV4635 - Archaeological Desk-Based Assessment of Hanson Town Farm, Devon
• EDV4749 - Excavation at Town Farm Quarry, Burlescombe

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