MMO353 - Possible building remains north of St John's Church (Monument)

SS 7474 4980. Low banks (suggesting the remains of a rectangular building) were identified by McDonnell on aerial photographs north of St John's Church. [1,2] The reference (SS 7474 4980) falls in an area of unenclosed rough pasture to the northeast of St John's Church. There is no trace of any building here. However at SS 7468 4980 some 60 metres to the west of McDonnell's reference of a roughly rectangular turf covered mound which is about 12 metres east to west by 4 metres and of 0.5 metres maximum height. No walling is evident but stone was detected by probing. The mound lies in the corner of a derelict field (part of the surrounding field system [see MDE11731]) on the north side of a lynchet and is possibly a building stance associated with the field system. This is probably what McDonnell was referring to. At SS 7470 4981 some 20 metres to the northeast of the mound is a turf covered L shaped bank (8 metres eaast to west by 3 metres north to south, 2 metres wide and 0.4 metres high) probably part of the same field system system. [3] A number of possible structural remains, including those identified by McDonnell, were noted as earthworks and transcribed from aerial photographs as part of the Exmoor National Park National Mapping Programme (NMP) survey. Following the extensive NMP survey, the possible structure referred to by McDonnell at SS 7468 4980 has been identified, but is now thought to be part of the surrounding medieval relict field system, rather than structural remain. The possible building platform identified by the above authority at SS 7468 4980 has been transcribed, but appears slightly shorter and broader than stated above, at circa 10 metres by 6 metres in size. As described above, it is unlikely that this is the earthwork that McDonnell was referring to. Nonetheless, it is probable that this is the remains of a platform associated with the enclosing field system, as suggested. Also within this same relict field, an earthwork which may be the same feature as the `turf covered L shaped bank' described above has been transcribed, at SS 7470 4980, although the 7 metre long and 2.5 metre wide bank appears rather more curved than L shaped on the available photographs. [4-6] This record was enhanced as part of the National Record of the Historic Environment to Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record data transfer project. [7]