MMO1996 - Medieval or post-medieval field boundary or lynchet above the West Lyn River (Monument)

A field boundary or lynchet of possible medieval or post-medieval date is visible as a low earthwork on aerial photographs, centred on circa SS 7339 4907 on a west facing slope above the West Lyn River. The earthwork is curvilinear or sinuous in form and roughly follows the contours of the combe side, at about 175 metres above Ordnance Datum, for approximately 80 metres. The lynchet is not marked as a boundary on the 1st Edition Ordnance Survey map of 1889, and is on a slightly different orientation to that of the extant field boundaries. Although many of the surrounding field boundaries display characteristics which indicate they may have origins in the medieval period, the majority of internal or subdividing boundaries are very straight and regular in form, indicating at least one phase of enclosure realignment in the post-medieval period. Such reorganisation is confirmed by the survival of further curved field boundaries approximately 250 metres to the northeast at circa SS 7360 4920. As such, it is likely that this lynchet was created in the earlier medieval period, probably as an effect of medieval ploughing methods, but was superseded during the later medieval or post-medieval period. The earthwork remains visible, albeit only in very low light conditions, on aerial photographs of the 1970s and on the images available on Google Earth at the time of survey. [1-5] This record was enhanced as part of the National Record of the Historic Environment to Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record data transfer project. [6]