MMO2792 - Possible medieval or post-medieval field boundaries north of Sherracombe Farm (Monument)

A pair of short linear banks are visible as earthworks on aerial photographs. They are similar in size and form to other nearby boundaries and may well be contemporaneous with them but their relationship is not clear.

A pair of short linear banks are visible as earthworks on aerial photographs, located on former moorland north of Sherracombe Farm, North Molton. Centred at approximately SS 7163 3616, both banks run roughly east to west. The eastern bank, at SS 7163 3615 measures approximately 120 metres in length, while the western bank, at SS 7175 3619 measures 110 metres long. Despite their proximity to each other, and their similar alignments, there is no indication that the banks were connected. The banks are similar in size and form to the boundaries visible on the opposite side of the valley on Whitefield Down, as well as the boundaries immediately north of Sherracombe Farm, and may well be contemporaneous with them. Like the systems here, the banks are not depicted on the 1st Edition Ordnance Survey map of 1890, suggesting they were abandoned prior to this date. However, since the two banks follow no discernible pattern, the precise nature of their relationship to other systems, if any, cannot be established from aerial photography alone. [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]