MEM24736 - Medieval and post-medieval ford at Exford (Monument)

Exford is in the southwest corner of Carhampton Hundred. It is named from the river Ex and the Anglo-Saxon Ford, IE a ford over the Ex. [1] The ford is shown on the Tithe Map for Exford Parish at SS85213837, sited on the original road route through the village. [2] The ford is also depicted and labelled on the 25 inch 1st and 2nd Edition Ordnance Survey maps. [3,4] The ford is not labelled on 2018 MasterMap data. [5] The site was visited in August 2019. The entrance to the ford on the southwestern side was still accessible; however, the northeastern side had been walled off. [6] After the Exmoor Flood in 1952, a retaining wall was built on the river bank in the village centre to hold back the river and prevent flooding of the low lying dwellings. [7] It is not clear whether the ford passed out of use because the retaining wall was built on the northeastern side [7], or the road bridge (MSO10639) was widened in 1930, or a combination of both these factors. [8]