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Summary

Some visible earthworks, geophysical anomalies and local tradition reveal the possible location of a deserted settlement of probable medieval origin around All Saint’s Church.

Location

Protected Status

• SHINE: Deserted medieval village at Dunterton
• Listed Building (II) 1318212: HEADSTONE OF ELIZABETH STENLAKE 3 METRES TO SOUTH OF NAVE OF PARISH CHURCH
• Listed Building (II) 1332978: HEADSTONE OF JAMES NEAILE 1 METRE NORTH OF ROOD LOFT PROJECTION OF PARISH CHURCH
• Listed Building (II) 1104808: HEADSTONE OF WILLIAM STENLAKE 2 1/2 METRES TO SOUTH OF CHANCEL OF PARISH CHURCH
• Listed Building (II) 1104809: TOMBCHEST OF JOHN HARTMASON 5 METRES TO SOUTH WEST OF TOWER OF PARISH CHURCH
• Listed Building (I) 1163426: CHURCH OF ALL SAINTS
• Listed Building (II) 1163455: HEADSTONE OF ELIZABETH PRESS 2 METRES TO SOUTH OF NAVE OF PARISH CHURCH

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• DESERTED SETTLEMENT (Early Medieval to XIV - 1066 AD to 1400 AD (Between))

Full description

Devon County Council, 1838-1848, Tithe Mosaic, approximately 1838-1848 (Cartographic). SDV349431.

Two of the banks appear to the correspond with a depicted trackway leading to the church.

Ordnance Survey, 1880-1899, First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map (Cartographic). SDV336179.

The banks do not correspond with any depicted features. One of the banks appears to join with a depicted field boundary.

Environment Agency, 2000-2019, LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution) EA: Tamar Aerial Survey project area, LIDAR Environment Agency LAST RETURN 20-FEB-2005 (Cartographic). SDV363954.

Several curvilinear banks are visible as earthworks.

Knight, S., 2010, Untitled Source (Personal Comment). SDV345562.

There is a local tradition recording a village the field just to the south of Dunterton church. The village was apparently abandoned during the black death. The 19th century Tithe Map shows some irregular field shapes in the area.

Dean, R., 2011, An Archaeological Gradiometer Survey on Land at Hardstone Farm, Dunterton, Devon (Report - Geophysical Survey). SDV347922.

Sufficient magnetic contrast was available to define 45 groups of anomalies pertaining to potential archaeological deposits and structures. Anomaly groups on the northern boundary of the site to the northeast of the parish church coincided with low, extant earthworks and are suggestive of building platforms. Most of the numerous linear anomalies recorded during this survey, where characterised as likely or possible archaeology in table 1 and figure 1, are suggestive of complex land enclosure and, possibly, of past settlement within the survey area. It cannot be assumed, however, that these anomaly groups pertain to a single phase or even related phases of past human activity.

Dean, R., 2011, An Archaeological Gradiometer Survey on Land at Hardstone Farm, Dunterton, Devon (Report - Geophysical Survey). SDV347922.

Ordnance Survey, 2011, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV346129.

NERC, 2013, LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution) Tellus: Tamar Aerial Survey project area, LIDAR Tellus LAST RETURN 01-JUL-2013 to 31-AUG-2013 (Cartographic). SDV363955.

Several curvilinear banks are visible as earthworks.

Houghton, P., 2015, An Archaeological and Historical Report on The Upper Tamar Valley including Excavations at Lamerhooe Volume One, 46-49, fig 14-15 (Report - Assessment). SDV363240.

Site of the medieval village at Dunterton unsure as all signs have disappeared. Possible it was positioned between the manor house and the church on sloping ground, but there are no earthworks to support this theory. Alternatively, it may have been located towards the east/south-east of the manor. There was a chantry chapel located here until the 1950s. Again, there is no supporting earthwork evidence.

Hegarty, C., Houghton, E., Knight, S. and Sims, R., 2020-2021, Tamar/Lidar; A Single Source Approach to Landscape Survey and Socially Distanced Community Archaeology Area 1 (AI&M project) (Interpretation). SDV363945.

Several curvilinear banks are visible as earthworks on visualisations derived from lidar data captured in 2005 and 2013. The banks are situated at the head of a south facing combe in a field surrounding All Saint’s Church.
Two of the banks in the north-east part of the site are in parallel and correspond partially with a trackway from the road to the church depicted on the Tithe Map. One the banks continues to the south and appears to join a linear plot recorded as ‘waste’ which may be a former track. The banks correspond with some fragmented linear anomalies picked up by the geophysical survey (SDV347922).
A further bank is orientated east to west in the south-west part of the site and appears to join with a field boundary depicted to the east on historic maps.
The plot comprising the church is recorded as ‘Church Yard and Poor House’ in the Tithe Apportionment. Surrounding plots are recorded as ‘Back Meadow’, ‘Little West Church’, ‘Old Green’, ‘Homer Quarry Hill’ and ‘Church Orchard’.
A curvilinear enclosure is recorded to the north-west of the church and interpreted to be of probable medieval origin and associated with the settlement, although it may be prehistoric (MDV130651).
Some further indistinct earthworks are faintly visible and interpreted to be of possible natural origin given their position at the head of the combe, but its possible they have an anthropogenic origin.
The banks are interpreted as trackways and field boundaries of medieval origin that formed part of a deserted medieval settlement that passed out of use prior to circa 1840.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8345 - Tamar/Lidar; A Single Source Approach to Landscape Survey and Socially Distanced Community Archaeology Area 1 (AI&M) (Ref: ACD2380)
• EDV5373 - Geophysical Survey on Land at Hardstone Farm, Dunterton

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