Winterbourne Bassett mound

Summary

Post mill 60m east of Lane Cottage.

Reasons for Designation

Post mills were the form of windmills in the medieval period in which the wooden superstructure rotated about a central vertical post. The central post was mounted on cross timbers which were stabilised by being set into a mound. This mound might be newly built but earlier mounds were also frequently reused. The whole superstructure of such a mill was rotated to face into the wind by pushing a horizontal pole projecting from the mill on the opposite side from the sails. The end of this pole was supported by a wheel and rotation eventually resulted in a shallow ditch surrounding the mill mound. Post mills were in use from the 12th century onwards. No medieval examples of the wooden superstructures survive today but the mounds, typically between 15m and 25m in diameter, survive as field monuments. In general, only those mounds which are components of larger sites or which are likely to preserve organic remains will be considered worthy of protection through scheduling. However, some mills reused earlier mounds, such as castle mottes and barrows, which are worthy of protection in their own right. The post mill 60m east of Lane Cottage survives well and will contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to its origins, function, construction, longevity, possible adaptive re-use, date, social and economic significance, agricultural practices and overall landscape context.

History

See Details.

Details

This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 24 September 2015. This record has been generated from an "old county number" (OCN) scheduling record. These are monuments that were not reviewed under the Monuments Protection Programme and are some of our oldest designation records.

This monument includes a post mill situated on a ridge overlooking the confluence of several tributaries to the River Kennet. The post mill survives as a circular flat topped mound of up to 30m in diameter and 1.4m high with a largely buried surrounding ditch visible to the north as an earthwork of up to 1.5m deep. The mound and ditch are approached by track ways and surrounded by ridge and furrow but this is not included in the scheduling because it has not been formally assessed. Further archaeological remains in the vicinity are scheduled separately. In the past the mound has been identified as a possible bowl barrow, smithy or motte castle.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

WI 580

Legacy System:

RSM - OCN

Sources

Other
PastScape 216314
Wiltshire HER SU07NE601

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