MSO7370 - Medieval field system at Ley Hill (Monument)
Summary
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Type and Period (1)
Protected Status
Full Description
A field system was recorded on the eastern side of Ley Hill, initially from aerial photographs, and subsequently during archaeological evaluation work. [1] The field system, centred at SS 8900 4485, stretches for some 14 hectures on the eastern side of Ley Hill. It lies partly on open moorland and partly in oak woodland. It comprises two blocks of strip lynchets and a series of large rectilinear fields. The whole complex appears to be medieval, and is associated with the deserted medieval settlement at its northern end (MSO7422). Surveyed at 1:2500 scale as part of the Royal Commission on the Historic Monuments of England's East Exmoor Project; a detailed report has been archived in the National Monuments Record. [2-4] The presence of strip lynchets, one of which emerges from the settlement itself, indicates that the field system is contemporary with the settlement. The lynchets form two blocks, the northernmost of which emerges from the southern side of the settlement. The lynchets survive as spread, intermittent scarps, up to 1.2 metres high, and stretching for some 325 metres, in the woodland. In places, pollarded oaks appear to concentrate along them, although further work would be needed to ascertain whether such a phenomenon is a chance occurrence, or a deliberate attempt to grow pollards between the cultivated strips. The southerly block forms an almost rectangular area, and the dividing strips are set at very regular intervals; they are much shorter, being only 120 metres long. West of these two areas the field system continues, but here there are no lynchets, rather compact earthen boundary banks and traces of ridge and furrow. This change might suggest subsequent extensions to the field system, but is more likely to represent an outfield or less intensively treated pasture. In any case the generally incoherent fields and incomplete boundaries strongly suggest that the limits of the system fluctuated. [5] A field system of probable medieval date on Ley Hill is visible on aerial photographs as earthwork field banks. The visible extent of the field system was transcribed as part of the Exmoor national Mapping Programme survey, but due to the oak cover of Horner Wood, much is not visible on the aerial photographs available to the survey. The visible remains define a roughly rectilinear field system enclosing small areas of ridge and furrow but also with areas of ridge and furrow apparently unenclosed to its southern end. It is thought to be associated with the deserted settlement at its northern end, itself not visible on the available aerial photographs. [9-12] This record was enhanced as part of the National Record of the Historic Environment to Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record data transfer project. [13, 14]
Sources/Archives (14)
- <1> SEM6878 Report: McDonnell, R.R.J.. 1994. Horner Wood: Report on the Preliminary Archaeological Field Assessment of Two Sample Areas. Richard McDonnel. P.12-13.
- <2> SMO5748 Technical drawing: Riley, H. and Wilson-North, R.. 1997. Ley Hill settlement/ink survey. 1:500. Permatrace. Pen and Ink.
- <3> SMO5831 Collection: RCHME Exeter. 1993-1999. Exmoor Project.
- <4> SMO5111 Unpublished document: Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England. Field Investigators Comment. R Wilson-North and H Riley, 13 February 1997.
- <5> SEM6835 Report: Wilson-North, R.. 1997. A medieval settlement and prehistoric enclosure at Ley Hill, Luccombe, Somerset. RCHME.
- <6> SSO708 Survey: Western Archaeological Trust. 1980s. Exmoor Aerial Photograph Survey. 8844.
- <7> SSO235 Aerial photograph: 1971. HSL.71-177 Run 89.
- <8> SEM7408 Aerial photograph: Meridian Air Maps. 1977-1978. Infrared False Colour Aerial Photography. 13/088 (May 1977).
- <9> SEM6707 Aerial photograph: Royal Air Force. 1946 -1948. Vertical Aerial Photography. RAF CPE/UK/1980 F20 4233-5 (11 April 1947).
- <10> SMO4068 Aerial photograph: Various. Various. Vertical Aerial Photograph. NMR OS/73087 694-5 (17 April 1973).
- <11> SMO4068 Aerial photograph: Various. Various. Vertical Aerial Photograph. NMR OS/79013 254-5 (17 April 1979).
- <12> SMO7557 Archive: 2007-2009. Exmoor National Park NMP: SS 84 NE. MD002174.
- <13> SEM7987 Digital archive: Historic England. Various. National Record of the Historic Environment (NRHE) entry. 1084190, Extant 9 February 2022.
- <14> SEM7987 Digital archive: Historic England. Various. National Record of the Historic Environment (NRHE) entry. 36143, Extant 15 March 2022.
External Links (2)
- http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=1084190 (Original Monarch entry: 1084190)
- http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=36143 (Original Monarch entry: 36143)
Other Statuses/References
- Local List Status (Unassessed)
- National Monuments Record reference: SS 84 SE105
- National Monuments Record reference: SS 84 SE69
- NRHE HOB UID (Pastscape): 1084190
- NRHE HOB UID (Pastscape): 36143
- Somerset SMR PRN (Somerset): 34431
Location
Grid reference | Centred SS 889 446 (632m by 922m) Estimated from sources |
---|---|
Map sheet | SS84SE |
Civil Parish | LUCCOMBE, WEST SOMERSET, SOMERSET |
Finds (0)
Related Monuments/Buildings (4)
- Related to: Ley Hill medieval settlement (Monument) (MSO7422)
- Related to: Medieval or post-medieval field boundaries on Pentley Seat (Monument) (MMO1851)
- Related to: Possible rectilinear enclosure of medieval field system southwest of Ley Hill (Monument) (MEM22851)
- Related to: Routeways at Ley Hill (Monument) (MEM15653)
Related Events/Activities (2)
Record last edited
Mar 17 2022 12:29PM
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