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Summary

Curvilinear soilmarks of possible levelled banks and ditches visible on digital images derived from aerial photographs of 1999 on the west facing slopes overlooking the Colley Brook, to the northeast of Kingsteignton, Ideford. The soilmarks have been interpreted as evidence for an oval enclosure of prehistoric date. However, a non-archaeological in origin for the soilmarks is probable.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• NON ANTIQUITY (Unknown date)
• OVAL ENCLOSURE? (Early Iron Age to Roman - 700 BC (Between) to 409 AD (Between))

Full description

Environment Agency, 2021, University of Exeter Understanding Landscapes Project - Lidar visualisation (Cartographic). SDV366001.

The soilmarks do not correspond with any visible earthwork banks or ditches.

Google, 2024, Google Earth Pro, EARTH.GOOGLE.COM XX-XX-1999 ACCESSED 25-FEB-2025 (Aerial Photograph). SDV366008.

Curvilinear soilmarks are visible.

Fairclough, J., 2024, Lidar and Aerial Photograph Interpretation, Ideford-01-RRP7/24 (Personal Comment). SDV366410.

Oval shaped enclosure soil and cropmark comprised of at least one, possibly two, concentric rings. It comprises a raised earthwork and an interior and exterior ditch.
Located on a hill slope facing west. The earthwork appears to run under 3 separate field boundaries. The feature is visible in two fields as soilmarks and the third as a cropmark.
There is the suggestion of a second concentric ring but it is too diffuse to interpret with confidence.
Visible on satellite imagery, the best image was found to be 12/1999. It is diffuse but distinct enough to identify. Not visible on LiDAR.

Hegarty, C., 2025, Comment on Unlocking Landscapes project and related lidar and aerial photograph interpretations (Interpretation). SDV366411.

Curvilinear soilmarks are visible on digital images derived from aerial photographs taken in 1999 centred on the junction of three fields on west facing slopes overlooking the Colley Brook, northeast of Kingsteignton. The soilmarks may indicate a levelled curvilinear bank approximately 7m wide, flanked by ditches of similar width, enclosing an oval area approximately 90m long and 50m wide. Further concentric soilmarks are possibly identifiable to the north and west but are less well defined. The soilmarks are visible in the fields facing west and north. The field to the southeast was under crop and no cropmarks or soilmarks are identifiable here.
The soilmarks could be interpreted as evidence of a levelled oval enclosure of prehistoric date. However, no soilmarks or cropmarks indicative of buried archaeological features are visible on any other currently available aerial imagery and no earthworks were identifiable on Lidar imagery. It is thought more likely that the soilmarks are non-archaeological in origin, possibly geological in nature or perhaps artefacts of the aerial imagery.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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