Principal Archaeological Landscape: North Hill Burgundy Combe (32)

Location This PAL lies at the far north eastern edge of Exmoor National Park, above Minehead and is located on the north facing slopes of North Hill, an east-west moorland ridge. It includes three steep combes running down to the coast: Grexy Combe, Bramble Combe and Burgundy Chapel Combe. Description of Archaeology The PAL contains the remains of two well preserved medieval settlements, one in Bramble Combe and one in Grexy Combe. In the north east corner of the PAL are the remains of Burgundy Chapel which dates from the fifteenth century. Between the two deserted medieval settlements is an extensive relict field system, presumably associated with them. Principal significance The significance of this PAL is due to the presence of two well preserved medieval settlements with a coherent field system located between. Burgundy Chapel is a rare survival and its significance is increased by the excavated material gathered there in the 1980s. However, some doubt remains over the relationship between the building and a number of documentary sources mentioning a chapel in this area.