MMO3132 - Post-medieval field boundary north of Ashway (Monument)

A possible field boundary can be seen as an almost levelled earthwork on aerial photographs. The curved line of the bank echoes the layout of other former enclosure boundaries here, and may represent post-medieval enclosure.

A former possible field boundary to the north of Ashway can be seen on aerial photographs as an almost levelled earthwork bank centred on circa SS 8686 3129. The bank is almost 5 metres wide and is visible for over 180 metres, reaching from extant boundaries to the east and west in an almost complete arc. The curved line of the bank echoes the layout of other former enclosure boundaries around Ashway, as visible on the 1st Edition Ordnance Survey map of 1890 and visible on aerial photographs of the 1940s and 1950s, and it is probable that these represent the original post-medieval enclosure boundaries of Ashway. The boundary bank also encloses a possible area of terracing which may be contemporary with the farm and perhaps includes a building platform or garden feature, recorded separately. The possible field boundary cannot be clearly seen on later aerial photographs and may have been levelled during agricultural improvements. [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]