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Summary

Earthwork enclosure to the south-east of Leigh Tor of unconfirmed function or date. Lady Fox (1950) interpreted it as a livestock pound of Medieval origin although the earthwork seems unnecessarily strong and the entrances occur away from the road. The suggestion that it was an Iron Age hill-slope enclosure is also dubious as it has no strategic or visual impact at this location. Another possibility is that it was a form of tree enclosure as part of a Victorian landscape design.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1003295: Pound at Newbridge

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX77SW21
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 445303
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX77SW/25/1
• Old SAM County Ref: 149
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SX77SW21

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• POUND? (Constructed, Medieval - 1066 AD? (Between) to 1539 AD (Between))

Full description

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

"Pound (remains of)" depicted on the late 19th century historic map.

Victoria County History, 1906, The Victoria History of the County of Devon, 629 (Article in Serial). SDV238214.

Mention of a large hut circle near the road from Tavistock to Ashburton.

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/3G/TUD/UK/223, 5298-9 (Aerial Photograph). SDV147275.

Circular feature is visible on the aerial photography, 50-60 metres in diameter.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1960, SX77SW21 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV164492.

Probably medieval. (comment Lady A. Fox, 12/05/1960)
(19/05/1960) The work consists of a grass covered stone and earth bank with an outer ditch. Two causewayed entrances may be original. No traces of internal occupation.
Spread bank best preserved on the south-western side. The bank is 1.2 metres high on the inner side and 1.5 metres high on the outer. Ditch is 1.0 metre deep. Causewayed entrances to the north and south. Just to the east of the northern entrance is a modern break in the outer bank. Traces of a ditch can be seen on the eastern side (details from annotated map of the site.)

Devon county Council Ecologist, 1970, Pound on the west bank of the River Dart (Photograph). SDV302320.

Photograph by Devon County Council Ecologist, thought to date to the 1970s, entitled "wall of a pound on west bank of Dart", may represent this site.

Silvester, R. J., 1979, The Relationship of First Millennium Settlement to the Upland Areas of the South West, pg 181, Figure 1 (Article in Serial). SDV177352.

Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England, 1985, Aerial Photograph Project (Dartmoor) - Dartmoor Pre-NMP (Cartographic). SDV319854.

Circular enclosure visible and recorded on the Royal Air Force aerial photographs. Hut circle not visible.

Fletcher, M. + Moore, B., 2004, The Univallate Enclosure on Deeper Marsh (Report - Survey). SDV352090.

The origin and function of this enigmatic univallate earthwork cannot be positively ascribed from the available evidence. This is due mainly to its location, size and form which do not fit comfortably into any of the conventional archaeological categories for the Dartmoor region. The survey showed that the spread bank and its wide silted outer ditch appear to be D-shaped rather than circular and was constructed or re-fashioned as a series of short straight lengths. The earthwork has always been susceptible to widespread flooding which would appear to rule out most functions. The site may indicate seasonal occupation during the drier summer months. It has been interpreted as a livestock pound of Medieval origin although the earthwork seems unnecessarily strong and the entrances occur away from the road. The suggestion that it was an Iron Age hill-slope enclosure is also dubious as it has no strategic or visual impact at this location. Another possibility is that it was a form of tree enclosure as part of a Victorian landscape design.

Ordnance Survey, 2012, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV348725.

'Pound' shown on modern mapping as a circular feature on Deeper Marsh. Map object is based on this source.

Lawrence, A., 22/07/2012, Similarity of Newbridge Pound to a henge (Correspondence). SDV349759.

Some points noted regarding this feature and its similarity to a henge monument, including location and layout of the site. Also noted were three central earthen tufts (similar to ant’s nests) apparently regularly positioned around 3.0 meters apart sharing a common radius from the centre of the moment. The site is positioned adjacent to islands on the river. Furthermore, the topography of the site and various features of the surrounding horizons mark the position of the mid summer and mid winter sunrises and the May day sunrise, which may support its interpretation as a henge site.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV6232 - Univallate Enclosure on Deeper Marsh

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