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ID:SDV177338
Title:Enclosures and Earthwork in Dartington North Wood
Originator:Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England
Date:1994
Summary:Two conjoined enclosures with an adjacent scarped earthwork platform projecting eastwards and a well defined hillslope enclosure (see PRN 58478) to the north. The site occupies an un-named elongated hill oriented northeast-southwest. The enclosures are between 5-25m below the summit on the gentle northeast slopes. Now covered by dense vegetation. Western enclosure (A) centred at SX78636339. Roughly sub-rectangular, 55m by 42m internally, enclosing 0.23ha. Broad how shallow ditch with internal flat-topped bank evident on south and east side. Ditch now silted but best on east end of south side and averages 5m wide and 0.5m deep. Bank is 8m wide and 0.8m high. On north and west sides ditch spoil forms a low outer bank but there is no evidence of an inner bank. Forestry track may have obscured this outer bank on the south side of the enclosure, if it existed here. Existing entrance and ditch causeway on the south side probably overlies the original one. The interior is featureless.1960's excavation trenching not backfilled, still visible in southeast corner. The excavation spoil forms a linear bank. Eastern enclosure (B) centred at SX78696341, practically mirrors (A) in shape and size being 46m by 38m internally enclosing 0.18ha. Shallow ditch 5m wide and 0.4m deep best seen on northeast. Inner bank on east and south sides, flat-topped, 0.5m high and 6m wide. Nearly 30m of ditch on east end of south ditch has been infilled in modern times. Outer bank along north and part of ast sides of the enclosure, only 0.4m high and 5m wide. Featureless interior. No trace of entranceway or a connecting way between the two enclosures; entrance may have been on south side, like (A). Eastern earthwork (C) centred SX78776346. A well defined scarp or rampart with an obtuse angle commencing near southeast corner of enclosure (B). South side 0.7m high in the west reaching a maximum of 2m when it turns north for 70m before fading into hillslope. Outer ditch 5m wide and 0.5m deep. 30m south of the north end of the ditch is a causeway 5m wide. Ditch is max of 0.7m deep on north side of this causeway. Break in bank at causeway is wider than it and is flanked by amorphous 'mounds', the best preserved of which is 1m high and 14m long by 7m wide. These are fragments of an inner bank. 20m south of the causeway is a lowering of the rampart, probably caused by modern usage. No trace of a scarp depicted on OS 1:2500 (1954) map between (C) and enclosure (B). No features on interior. Superficially (C) appears unfinished but contemporary with (A) and (B). Possible link to livestock farming and hide production. Excavated evidence suggests a Roman date.

Associated Monuments (2)

MDV58478Hillslope Enclosure in North Wood, Dartington (Monument)
MDV8145Hillslope Enclosures in North Wood, Dartington (Monument)