MEM25276 - Possible late prehistoric defended enclosure east of Stone Farm (Monument)

A possible late prehistoric defended enclosure was identified on a westerly facing slope at c. 330 metres elevation, using 1 metre LiDAR data published in 2022. No detailed aerial photographs were available to confirm the following description. The enclosure appears to consist of an outer rampart, c. 54 metres square; an inner ditch, c 8 metres wide, with an entrance on the eastern (upslope) side where the ditch has been infilled; and a central raised area or platform, c. 38 by 30 metres in size and with seemingly rounded corners. The western side of the enclosure has been disturbed by an extant field boundary. Immediately to the west of the boundary, downslope of the enclosure, a substantial track was noted running north to south, avoiding the steep gullies created by streams flowing down to the River Quarme. The earthwork has similarities with other enclosures noted in the area (EG MSO8318, MSO7896 and Somerset PRN 54098). [1,2] There is nothing on the historic mapping sources available to the HER to explain the features noted above. [3-5]