MMO276 - Post-medieval enclosure and field boundaries on Countisbury Common (Monument)

A rectangular enclosure is visible on aerial photographs and at ground level, apparently associated with two field boundaries. It appears to be post-medieval in date and may have been occupied by a plantation.

A rectangular enclosure, visible on aerial photographs and at ground level is also shown on the current Ordnance Survey 1:10000 sheet [1]. The feature, centred at SS 7539 5005, lies on steep northeast facing slopes at 250 metres above Ordnance Datum. It is rectangular in shape and is defined by an earthen bank with external ditch. Both this and the interior are covered in dense bracken. Cursory examination did not reveal either an entrance or any internal features. A relict field boundary, visible as a low earthern bank, joins the enclosure at its southwest corner. This curvilinear bank measures approximately 137 metres in length, running east to west. A second field boundary, at SS 7535 5014 runs approximately north to south for 110 metres. The banks are similar in form and structure to those seen on The Foreland, which have been ascribed to the post-medieval period. The purpose and function of the enclosure and the field boundaries are unclear. However they are probably post-medieval in date, and the steepness of the slopes on which the enclosure lies suggests that it might once have been occupied by a plantation. Neither the enclosure nor the banks are depicted on the 1st or 2nd edition Ordnance Survey maps [2,3], suggesting they were abandoned prior to publication in 1891. [1-6] This record was enhanced as part of the National Record of the Historic Environment to Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record data transfer project. [7]