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Summary

The midden site described by pengelly lies sw of lower rocombe farm and is now a market garden. The midden material is visible as a broad band across the field, starting 120m from the gate. The roman sherds collected by pengelly are at the torquay museum. Vis=13/4/1960(os) area is under crop. No traces of the midden were seen. Pengelly found fragments of quern, a bone pin, a bronze ornament, shells etc. Two inhumations with heads to the east were found in 1834 in the field, recorded by pengelly. The pottery in the field is largely r. B. And 19th century. In 1934, a mr hearder of rocombe found two human skeletons next to each other, heads pointing east, and immediately beyond them, a large accumulation of shells about 0.3m below the surface. With the shells were numerous pot fragments and a small copper coin. All now (1865) untraceable. Excavation in 1865 showed that the shells occupied a sort of trench cut into red conglomerate rock, between 0.75m and 1.35m wide, with an average depth of 1.35m, running towards the summit of the hill for a distance of about 34m. Besides the shells and domestic animal bones were found a bone pin, a quern fragment, pot and glass fragments, a brass ornament etc. The modern finds among these may be explained by earlier disturbance. Otherwise these finds are romano-british. Presume trench dug solely for rubbish disposal; it could not have been a field drain. Pengelly also mentions the appearance of a circular cropmark in this field, which was not investigated (pengelly, 1865).

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX96NW/10

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• MIDDEN (Roman to XXI - 43 AD to 2009 AD (Between))

Full description

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV302255.

Pengelly, w. /tda/1 part 4(1865)50/an accumulation of shells with human industrial remains.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV302256.

Pengelly, w. /tda/19(1887)325/prince's 'worthies of devon' and the 'dictionary of national biography', part 3.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV302257.

Fox, a. /tda/87(1955)325/22nd. Report on archaeology and early history.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV302258.

Osa=sx96nw1.

PENGELLY, 1865, Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV318727.

The midden site described by pengelly lies sw of lower rocombe farm and is now a market garden. The midden material is visible as a broad band across the field, starting 120m from the gate. The roman sherds collected by pengelly are at the torquay museum. Vis=13/4/1960(os) area is under crop. No traces of the midden were seen. Pengelly found fragments of quern, a bone pin, a bronze ornament, shells etc. Two inhumations with heads to the east were found in 1834 in the field, recorded by pengelly. The pottery in the field is largely r. B. And 19th century. In 1934, a mr hearder of rocombe found two human skeletons next to each other, heads pointing east, and immediately beyond them, a large accumulation of shells about 0.3m below the surface. With the shells were numerous pot fragments and a small copper coin. All now (1865) untraceable. Excavation in 1865 showed that the shells occupied a sort of trench cut into red conglomerate rock, between 0.75m and 1.35m wide, with an average depth of 1.35m, running towards the summit of the hill for a distance of about 34m. Besides the shells and domestic animal bones were found a bone pin, a quern fragment, pot and glass fragments, a brass ornament etc. The modern finds among these may be explained by earlier disturbance. Otherwise these finds are romano-british. Presume trench dug solely for rubbish disposal; it could not have been a field drain. Pengelly also mentions the appearance of a circular cropmark in this field, which was not investigated (pengelly, 1865).

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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