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Summary

Deserted Medieval Settlement: Linehan's Sites 58 consisting of the earthwork remains of longhouses, field boundaries and trackways. One of nine medieval settlement sites in Okehampton Park.

Location

Protected Status

• SHINE: Earthworks and stone walls of a prehistoric cairnfield, cairns and hut circles, medieval field system and deserted medieval settlements and modern miltary training camp in Okehampton Park
• Scheduled Monument 1002653: Medieval homesteads S of Meldon quarry

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX59SE110
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 1388169
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX59SE/5/7
• Old SAM County Ref: 989B

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• DESERTED SETTLEMENT (XI to XIII - 1066 AD (Between) to 1300 AD (Between))

Full description

Royal Air Force, 1961, 58/4424, 33 (Aerial Photograph). SDV280247.

Other details: F44.

Linehan, C. D., 1965, Deserted Sites on Dartmoor, Devon, 174 (Article in Serial). SDV217992.

Linehan Site 58. Three buildings lying south of a hedge-bank with crofts on its lower side. Walls of a fourth and larger building exist to the east. This has a room at the upper end, and cross passage.

Linehan, C. D., 1966, Deserted Sites and Rabbit-Warrens on Dartmoor, Devon, 125-131, Other details: Table 2, plan. (Article in Serial). SDV307246.

SX575922. At least 4 longhouses lie N-S by a trackway (1). Three buildings lie close to, and south of, a hedge bank. with crofts on its lower side. Patrrts of the walls of a fourth and larger building exist to the east. This has a room at the upper end, and a cross-passage, but the lowere half of the house has been almost completely destroyed. Part of a large area of scattered hamlets and homesteads in all probability abandoned in the late 13th century with the enlargement of Okehampton Park.

Haynes, R. G., 1966-1969, Ruined Sites on Dartmoor (Un-published). SDV150434.

Three buildings from 18.3 meters by 3.7 meters to 10.9 meters by 3.7 meters with crofts and enclosures (description identical to Linehan, 1965). Other details: 103.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1974, SX59SE2 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV215263.

Site 58 (SX57479222). Three parallel buildings the centre one probably a longhouse and another at SX57539225.

Department of Environment, 1975, Medieval homesteads south of Meldon Quarry (Schedule Document). SDV346927.

At least four longhouses lie north-south by a trackway.

Balkwill, C. J., 1976, Quarries (Report - Survey). SDV325006.

Other details: No. 6.

Greeves, T. A. P., 1978, Archaeological Sites within Okehampton Park and its Vicinity (Un-published). SDV233126.

Other details: No. A10.

Austin, D. + Daggett, R. H. + Walker, M. J. C., 1980, Farms and fields in Okehampton Park, 44 (Article in Serial). SDV324998.

Morphologically similar to excavated example (see PRN 14217) and probably contemporary.

Griffiths, D. M., 1983, Deserted Medieval Settlement (Site Visit). SDV215265.

(Site visited 17/6/1983) A trackway (not scheduled) runs south from the deerpark wall (but not beyond); there is a pair of longhouses either side of this, the east ones and some of the associated enclosures seem to have been destroyed in the construction of the field bank to the north. The site is gorse and grass-covered, with stone walls showing c 0.5 meters high.

Weston, S., 1983, List of Field Monument Warden Visits 1983 (Un-published). SDV343247.

Devon County Council, 1983, Untitled Source, 580/10 (Photograph). SDV215438.

Griffith, F. M., 1985, DAP/EE, 7,9,10,11 (Aerial Photograph). SDV217999.

Unknown, 1992, Deserted Medieval Settlements (Report - Survey). SDV346934.

Three buildings lie close together and parts of a fourth and larger building lie to the east. There are traces of crofts but the ground has been disturbed possibly by mining. Three parallel buildings, the centre one probably a longhouse, and another at SX57539225. (Surveyed at 1:1000).

Probert, S. A. J., 2004, Okehampton Castle and Park, West Devon: Survey Report, 41 (Report - Survey). SDV324949.

A large amount of pottery was excavated from Site 59 (PRN 14217) but was hard to date and at the time it was assumed that the site was abandoned when the deer park was established in the period 1292-1306. More recent research however, contradicts this and occupation is believed to have continued into the 15th century, ceasing before 1450.
Site 59 is typical of the other sites within Okehampton Park so it may also be possible that these were occupied during a similar period and that the inhabitants were not evicted when the park was established.

English Heritage, 2005-2008, Medieval Survey Information (Report - Survey). SDV345602.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV3474 - Earthwork survey of Okehampton Castle and Park

Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.