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Summary

Partial sub-circular feature, possibly a ring ditch or large round house, identified by geophysical survey to the north of Pin Court Farm.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• RING DITCH (Unknown date)

Full description

Sheldon, L., 2010, Land Around Pinn Court Farm, Pinhoe, Devon. Archaeological Evaluation (Report - Evaluation). SDV347870.

Evaluation undertaken prior to a planning application submission for a proposed residential development of the site.

A group of three undated postholes, were identified at the western end of the trench. All had concave bases and were of similar size, ranging from 0.4 metres-0.64 metres in diameter and 0.05 metres-0.12 metres in depth, and contained single sandy clay fills. An environmental sample, recovered from the fill of on of the postholes identified quantities of charcoal, carbonised plant macrofossils and magnetic
material.

A shallow, narrow ditch was identified to the east of these postholes. It was aligned north-south, had a ‘V’ shaped profile and contained a single fill from which six sherds of probable Late Iron Age pottery were recovered. An environmental sample recovered from the fill of this ditch, identified quantities of charcoal, carbonised plant macrofossils and magnetic material. The ditch was identified by the geophysical survey and, although seemingly straight within the trench, may form part of a possible ringditch or drip gully.

A curvilinear ditch, possibly representing a ringditch with a projected diameter of approximately 10 metres, was identified immediately to the east of the shallow narrow ditch. It comprised up to 0.48 metres wide with a 'U' shaped profile, that contained a single clayey silt fill. A fill of a ditch contained six sherds of Late Iron Age pottery. An environmental sample, recovered from the ditch identified quantities of charcoal, flint, burnt bone, burnt stone and magnetic material.

An irregular pit and a pit/ditch terminal were located within the interior of the ring-ditch. One pit measured 0.4 metres wide and 0.2 metres deep, and contained no dating evidence. The pit/ditch terminal measured 0.2 metres wide and 0.11 metres deep, and contained no dating evidence.

Located in the eastern quarter of the trench were parallel north-south orientated ditches. One ditch contained a single undated fill while the other Ditch 3423 contained a single fill which contained a fragment of clay tobacco pipe stem. Both ditches correspond with linear anomalies identified by the geophysical survey. Both ditch correlate with a field boundary depicted on the Pinhoe tithe map
of 1841.

Dean, R., 2010, Land at Pin Court Farm, Broad Clyst, Exeter, Devon: Results of an Archaeological Gradiometer Survey, 12-13 (Report - Geophysical Survey). SDV344434.

Partial sub-circular anomaly identified by geophysical survey to north of Pin Court Farm. The morphology and dimensions suggest this represents an archaeological structure, possibly a ring ditch or large round house, and there is some suggestion of heated deposits within the feature. Other details: Figure 4, site 19.

Wells, T. + Newton, L., 2020, Bronze Age Monuments and Iron Age Settlement at Pinn Court Farm, Exeter, 84; Figs 2, 13 (Article in Serial). SDV364781.

The larger and apparently earlier of two intercutting, penannular gullies, representing the remains of later Iron Age circular structures or roundhouses. It measured approximately 12m in diameter. The gully was 0.7m wide, 0.3m deep, and had steeply sloping sides and a concave base. There was a 5.35m wide opening in the south-eastern side of the gully, which presumably marked the position of the entrance to the structure. Finds from the gully consisted of 14 sherds of pot, which could only be assigned a broadly Iron Age date,, and a small quantity of fired clay (two pieces, 35g). One of the fragments of fired clay bore the impression of a possible withy. An undated, sub-oval depression, 1.25m by 1.05m by 0.15m deep, was located slightly off-centre within the interior of the penannular gully. It is possible this was a natural feature, although it might represent the heavily truncated remnant of a structural post setting.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV4608 - Archaeological Gradiometer Survey at Pin Court Farm, Broad Clyst, Exeter
• EDV5328 - Evaluation of Land Around Pinn Court Farm, Pinhoe (Ref: 10185)

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