Please note this is a working farm not a tourist venue.  Remember there is no right of access.

A 

Pound-like feature, relic field boundaries 

and 

post medieval building platforms

Region: Blackdown Hills, Devon

Site 1: A Pound-like feature, relic field boundaries and possible deserted dwelling/linhay.

Survey carried out by: Community Landscapes Project

Date of survey: Various dates between October 2001-July 2005

Below are the results of the first archaeological studies and survey carried-out by the CLP. The site was first noted by CLP whilst exploring the Copse and surrounding area for palaeoenvironmental potential. Prior to the visit by the CLP staff the nearest recorded archaeology was a small quarry. The features discussed below are of various probable dates and consist of pound-like features, rectangular building platforms, lynchets and relict field systems all interrelated with the working of Gorwell farm.

Plan 1: Plan of feature 1 showing features atop the headland spur south west of Gorwell farm.

The site (see fig: 2 & Plan 1) is south-westerly facing and situated 50m east of the edge of a Copse, on the top of the headland spur at an elevation of 217m OD, which is the beginning of the plateau at this point. The vista is very impressive to the south and west looking out over the tops of the woodland in the Cleave below. The spur is semi-circular and approx. 60m by 40m and relatively level, but the gradient falls away dramatically to the northern and western extents but runs away more gently to the south. The eastern extent is stepped before proceeding into the adjacent fields (221 OD) where the ground is relatively level. There is a small stream running north to south approximately 100m east in the wooded copse below. Site 1 elevation is 240m. It was explained by the present landowner that his father removed several of the field boundaries on the spur in the 1960s. These boundaries enclosed an area known as the ‘Garden plot’ (being the pound-like feature). Examination of the Sites and Monuments Register (SMR) held 1940s RAF aerial photographs clearly showed the pound-like feature and the extent of field boundaries before they were removed.

Examination of the 1840s Dunkeswell Tithe Map (such maps are located at the Devon Records Office) shows the 19th century ownership places it within the holdings. In addition, the pound-like feature and relic boundaries are clearly shown on the Hemyock Tithe Map the platforms and boundaries A and B are not, and are therefore out of use before the 19th century.

Plan. 2: 19th century Hemyock Tithe Map and Apportionment data for the fields around feature 1.

Survey method

The plan of the headland spur (Plan. 1) is the result of volunteers undertaking a tape off-set survey at a scale of 1:50. The base-line was set and dimensions and extent of all features were re-checked using an EDM. Features, such as Platform A and Break A, plus the two in-cuts (not shown on the main plan) to the south were also planned separately at a scale of 1:20 and then tied in to the main plan via the results of the EDM survey. The results of the survey show that on top of the headland spur is a mixture of earthworks of various periods, including a semicircular ‘pound-like’ feature, two rectangular platforms, two in-cuts, three breaks of slope and several removed boundaries.

Volunteer planning to scale.  A skill quickly learnt but vital in the recording of earthwork features. 

Laying out tapes to gain a right angle for recording measurements over the lynchets.  This very simple method of survey can be used time and time again by local archaeological and history groups without any real outlay of costs.  

During the week a Postman, but this weekend a volunteer using a dGPS to record elevation and thereby create a model of the terrain on computer.

Charlotte Dave and Paul discuss the best way to plan the rectangular platform where it's likely a small dwelling once stood. 

Palaeoenvironmental Research

Volunteers assisted Charlotte in removing a core of peaty soil from the spring-mire, which is situated only 50m away to the west, directly below Site 1. The research and subsequent report by Hawkins 2004 CLP Palaeoenvironmental Report has resulted in this site being heavily revised since the initial report.

Charlotte and volunteer Will check the various depths of the spring-mire along the transect line.

Charlotte is assisted by one of our volunteers (Phil) whilst removing and recording one of the cores for pollen analysis.

Site 1 during the Late-Iron Age

The pollen diagram presents evidence of Late-Iron Age woodland clearance. At the same time there is an opening up of a surrounding landscape which becomes predominately pastoral (grassland). Along with this is evidence for the presence of cereals. Since cereal pollen doesn’t travel very far cereal cultivation most likely on the headland directly above, i.e. area of Site 1. Therefore we are able to show that an open up of the woodland and clearing for farming at this site started at a date radiocarbon dated and calibrated to 200 BC - 40 AD (just over 2000 year ago). Although it would be tempting to suggest the Late-Iron Age farming peoples arriving onto the Blackdown Hills plateau top found an untouched wooded landscape this may not be completely correct.

A second core taken over the opposite side of the hill in Luppitt Parish showed clearance of woodland and an opening up to grassland landscape from the Late Bronze Age nearly a thousand years earlier. In fact there are indications for an even earlier period of clearance during the Late Neolithic-Early Bronze Age however this was followed by a period of woodland regeneration. Although this core comes from the side of a sheltered valley it’s possible the plateau top was already becoming open grassland.

Whilst surveying and planning the headland volunteers noticed the terracing effect, which created a drop in height from Level 3 to 4. This effect is known as a lynchet and provides evidence that ploughing did occur on the headland. The only problem was that the pollen core showed a reduction in in-washed sediment, at the beginning of the Late-Iron Age, along with an increase in the organic content. If ploughing had occurred on the headland during the Late Iron Age then the movement of soil during ploughing should have resulted in soil washing down on to the spring-mire with the result of ending up in our pollen core. The best area for ploughing was directly on the top of the headland, plus cereal pollen doesn’t travel far and there was the lynchet, so something must have been stopping the soil creep. The most likely answer was a boundary bank along the edge of the headland. The presence of whitebeam, elm, beech and ivy pollen in the core may also suggest the presence of hedges or banks. Therefore the lynchet effect was probably created as the plough soil levelling itself out as it settled up against a bank along the line indicated by boundary B (see plan 1).

As yet, no sign of an actual Iron Age residence, directly linked to this site, has been found. What we still have however is an amazing in-sight into Late-Iron Age activity on this headland situated on the edge of the plateau top of the Blackdown Hills. It’s quite easy to compose a picture showing the order of events.

Although during the Late Bronze Age the plateau top had seen some clearance to open grassland it wasn’t until the Late-Iron Age the area around site 1 was cleared. These folk set about clearing the woodland to create themselves an area to farm. They would have used fire and since the best land is on the plateau top this is most likely where they began their slash and burn. Soon they had set themselves up on the edge of the south-facing headland with an area for cereal production and opened-up the remaining plateau top as grassland for their animals. The steeper sided cleave remained mostly wooded and furthermore was managed. This all started 200 BC - 40 AD (just over 2000 year ago) and the same pattern of land use appears to have continued unchanged for a further thousand years.

Site 1 during the Late-Saxon / Early Medieval Period

Sediment in the pollen core remained low until around the 10th century AD nearly a thousand years later when it begins to quickly increase. This implies the bank, which had from the Late-Iron Age onwards been stopping the soil creep off the headland, was no longer effective. In otherwords the bank, which had been present for a thousand years, was no longer repaired/maintained. Although over time it had reduced it was not completely lost to the elements. Combined however with intensification in the ploughing of the headland this caused soils to once again run down on to the spring-mire. Just 30m back from the edge of the first lynchet there is a second, larger lynchet. Today this curving backward S lynchet is stone-faced and sets the western limit for a grouping of arable fields. This area of crop production is visible as a long lobe-shape enclosure (see fig. 2 fields 2177, 2176, 2194 and 2193). The long curving shape to these fields is typically the result of working the land using a team of oxen to pull the plough.

The farm directly adjacent to Site 1 can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086. Here Gorwell is recorded that in 1086 it is held by Oliver from Theobald son of fitzBerner, but was held by Colbran as a Saxon period manor before 1066. With such a large increase in the sediment readings and a change in the ploughing regime it is possible the late-Saxon period saw a revitalisation of the land holdings. Interestingly for most of England this is often thought of as a period of restructuring of land use in order to increase productivity. That Domesday Book shows no increase or decrease in the manor’s valuation by the late 11th century suggests the level of intensified use did not increase. Perhaps the land that could be ploughed was already being cultivated and whilst cattle roamed the open pasture of the plateau top pigs ran about in the coppiced woodland.

Later Medieval and onwards

A reduction in the pollen cores sediment build-up during the 13th - 14th century showed that once more the restriction was in place or that there was another restriction. During this period (1201) Cistercian monks arrive from Ford Abbey, Somerset and create an abbey in Dunkeswell, among many places they hold Bywood and Gorwell, both of which became Cistercian Granges. Cistercian monks are well known for having a major impact on the landscape in their control. Therefore, there is likelihood the lands of Gorwell underwent a re-landscaping at this time. As part of this, they may have re-built a bank along the limits of the old but still visible Iron Age lynchet creating, or recreating, in otherwords a bank along the lines of boundary B. Boundary B ends by abutting boundary A, which in turn abuts the stone-faced lynchet of boundary D. This allows us to see the order of formation. The new plough limit was back at the limits of boundary D, then a hedge was built from there and ran down through the wooded Cleave. 

A further bank was built along the lines of the old Lynchet but this time it stopped by abutting the boundary bank of A. This created an area of small enclosures which all retained ‘Calf’ type fieldnames and was recorded as such in the 19th century Tithe Apportionments (see plan 2). The reason for the enclosures was winter shelter for young cattle, as implied by the field names. A possible later post-medieval change in the layout would then have made room for the arrival of the building upon platform A. Again a later post-medieval date is likely since platform A clearly cuts heavily into the line of boundary B and must therefore by of a later date. Whether the platform ever held a small house or simply a Linhay is impossible to establish but notably the south-westerly orientation of the platform favours the building having a closed frontage to check the prevailing wind and rain. Secondly use by cattle so close the edge of the headland spur would have resulted in heavy trampling and erosion and made entering and leaving hazardous. Therefore a more plausible scenario is a simple cottage occupied by a Gorwell Grange farm worker. The upper fields above the lobe-shaped enclosure retain field names such as ‘Summer Lease’ suggesting the cattle grazed there during the summer months. Furthermore considering the straight-sided nature of the field boundaries hereabouts it is probable this area was initially open pasture and only later saw enclosure into individual.

To conclude what is perhaps most striking about this site is the longevity of use. It appears that once the Late-Iron Age peoples had opened up the landscape to a way of farming that worked it remained open and in constant use to the present. Furthermore it appears the layout of land for the plough, open pasture and woodland basically remained the same to present.