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Summary

A number of long narrow tenement plots running west from cottages on Fore Street, many shown as orchards on 19th and early 20th century maps. Possibly created from former medieval plough-strips.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery Accession Number: AR.2007.17

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• TENEMENT (Early Medieval to XIX - 1066 AD to 1900 AD (Between))

Full description

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

A series of long narrow plots, many planted as orchards, shown running west from Fore Street.

Ordnance Survey, 1904 - 1906, Second Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map (Cartographic). SDV325644.

Map object based on this Source.

Swindin, P. J., 2007, An Archaeological Evaluation at Masons Yard, Fore Street, Holbeton, Devon, 1, 4 (Report - Evaluation). SDV347724.

An archaeological trench evaluation was carried out on land on the west side of Fore Street, in advance of proposed residential development. The tithe map of 1842 shows the bulk of the site to have comprised five long narrow orchards with a private road along the northern boundary. The curving nature of the strips strongly suggests that they resulted from the enclosure of former open field plough-strips, although this cannot be proved. The tenement plots in the village are known locally as 'burgage plots', although there is no documentary record to indicate that Holbeton was ever a borough. The evaluation revealed the presence of localised activity of medieval date in the form of a linear ditch running on an approximately north-south alighnment, which yielded a total of 18 sherds of 12th to late 14th century South Devon Ware, derived from medieval cooking vessels. Two other ditches, running approximately north-east to south-west, yielded no artefactual material. The present boundaries seem to be generally formed of substantial hedgebanks, which is unusual in this context, as the strips are so narrow the banks take up a disproportionate amount of space. This suggests that the hedgebanks may have been added to lynchets which formed the earlier boundaries between medieval strips, when the plots were turned into gardens for the cottages on Fore Street, probably in the 18th or 19th century. Other details: Figures 4-7.

Wakeham, C.S. + Jones, P., 2010, Building Recording and Archaeological Monitoring at Mason's Yard, Holbeton, Devon, 10-13 (Report - non-specific). SDV347734.

A number of archaeological features were exposed during monitoring of groundworks for residential development. The ditches found in the northern part of the site probably represent the medieval and later subdivision of plot number 1026 on the Tithe Map. The remnant stone hedgebank in the southern part of the site appears to be of post-medieval origin, and may represent a boundary depicted on the Tithe Map. A range of buildings, including the stable, shippen and linhay, is shown on the Ordnance Survey map surveyed in 1885. As the buildings were erected either side of a former property boundary, it is not clear whether they were built before or after the individual properties were consolidated into one.

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

Map object based on this Source.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds

• FDV1909 - SHERD (Early Medieval - 1066 AD to 1399 AD)
• FDV1910 - SHERD (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• FDV1912 - PIPE (SMOKING) (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1750 AD)
• FDV1911 - SHERD (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1750 AD)

Associated Events

• EDV5247 - Archaeological Evaluation at Mason's Yard, Holbeton
• EDV5249 - Historic Building Recording at Mason's Yard, Holbeton
• EDV5250 - Archaeological Monitoring at Mason's Yard, Holbeton

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