MDE12431 - Post-medieval enclosure at The Tors (Monument)

SS 7312 4946. An irregular rectilinear enclosure of probable recent date [2] was seen on aerial photographs. [3,4] SS 7314 4945. A rectangular open ended enclosure, shown on an aerial photograph [4], on a steep bracken covered slope. Formed by earthen banks, about 2 metres wide and 0.7 metres high, it is approximately 40 metres north-north-east to south-south-west by 30 metres and its open north-north-east end abuts a trackway south of the Countisbury Hill road. Deep in bracken it is difficult to see exact details on the ground but it appears to be subdivided by two less well defined lower cross banks parallel to the south-south-west end. At SS 7301 4924, some 250 metres to the southwest on the south side of the same spur, there is a similar, though slightly smaller, subdivided enclosure which is shown on the 1904 Ordnance Survey map [1] and which, although not visited, is probably a small allotment. It would appear that this enclosure served the same purpose. [1-5] An earthwork defined enclosure of possible medieval but probable post-medieval date is visible on aerial photographs on a steep bracken covered north facing slope to the east of Lynmouth, centred on circa SS 73124945. The bounding earthen banks are approximately 2 metres wide and define a trapezoidal enclosure 25 metres wide at its southeastern end, 35 metres wide at its northwestern end and approximately 30 metres long east to west. The earthworks enclose an area of about 800 metres square, subdivided by two internal lateral banks into three roughly equally sized sections. The cross banks are in poor, somewhat fragmentary condition. This is probably partly explained by post-medieval ploughing, as evidenced by narrow ridge and furrow visible crossing the internal banks in a north to south direction. The external bank remains visible on aerial photographs of 1995 and the images available on Google Earth at the time of survey, although it must be stressed the images used are updated regularly. [6-10] This record was enhanced as part of the pilot project for the National Record of the Historic Environment to Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record data transfer. [11,12]