More information : At SS 78684374, on the exposed ridge of Hoccombe Hill is a circular enclosure, visible on the AP, but on the ground obscured by dense bracken. It is formed by a bank of stone and earth 5.0m wide overall and 0.6m high enclosing a circular area of 17.0m internal diameter. There is no sign of a ditch; the interior is flat and at natural ground level. There is a simple entrance gap 5.0m wide, on the E side, with a slight spread of stone across the gap which could be the result of spread or tumble, or a token blocking of the entrance, suggesting the possibility that it is an enclosed
cremation cemetery, ring cairn or ring enclosure. Both the situation and the construction, where material has either been brought to the site or obtained by shallow surface scraping indicates a prehistoric origin.
Surveyed at 1:2500 on PFD. (1)
Centred at SS 7868 4374 is a circular enclousure 23m in diameter defined by a stony bank 3.7m wide and 0.6m high. There is no trace of a ditch. On the eastern side is an entrance gap 6.5m wide, which has been widened, and apparently damaged recently by a combination of animal wear and vehicle access. The interior of the enclosure is level and featureless, and has been extensively damaged by the use of animal feeders. This has resulted in areas of animal trampling and the presence of wheel ruts 0.25m deep. Damage has also been caused to the bank of the enclosure by animals passing over it to reach the feeders. A number of shells and pieces of shrapnel are visible on the bank, raising the possibility that the feature was used for training during WW2 (see SS 74 SE 110 - Exmoor Firing Ranges) or possibly that such material was dumped here subsequently. (2-3)
The enclosure described above is clearly visible on aerial photographs as a circular earthwork. Several other prehistoric monuments can be seen within a 500 metre radius of this monument, including two similar circular enclosures. Numerous impact craters are visible in the immediate vicinity of these monuments, presumably related to the Second World War Exmoor Firing Range, and indicating that the monuments may have suffered some damage (4). |