MMO2188 - Post-medieval mounds on Shoulsbarrow Common (Monument)

A number of small circular, stony mounds of probable post-medieval date are visible on aerial photographs. They may represent spoil and debris from quarrying activities, although they may also be related to peat cutting or field clearance.

A number of small circular, stony mounds of probable post-medieval date are visible on the eastern edge of Shoulsbarrow Common, Challacombe. Centred at approximately SS 7158 4017 and extending over an area of up to 4 hectares, the mounds measure no more than 3 metres across and are randomly distributed. A quarry is shown 250 metres to the northwest on the 1st Edition Ordnance Survey map and it seems likely that these stones represented spoil or debris from this activity. However, they may also be related to field clearance, or peat cutting in the area, particularly on Shoulsbarrow Common. [1-3] This record was enhanced as part of the National Record of the Historic Environment to Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record data transfer project. [4]