MMO2470 - Post-medieval gravel pits south of Culver Lane (Monument)

Several shallow depressions or pits are visible on oblique aerial photographs as earthworks on the eastern side of Withycome Hill, south of Culver Lane, Withycombe. Centred at ST 0080 4105 and ranging in size from 53 to 19 metres across, and may have been partially backfilled. They most likely date to the post-medieval period, as they cut through a number of medieval strip fields and areas of ridge and furrow ploughing. One of the larger pits is depicted on the 1st Edition Ordnance Survey map of 1888, and annotated "old gravel pit;" It seems likely that the other pits were also for gravel extraction, and were abandoned prior to the map's publication. [1-3]