The Crump: a ringwork 600m south of Berden

Reasons for Designation

Ringworks are medieval fortifications built and occupied from the late Anglo-Saxon period to the later 12th century. They comprised a small defended area containing buildings which was surrounded or partly surrounded by a substantial ditch and a bank surmounted by a timber palisade or, rarely, a stone wall. Occasionally a more lightly defended embanked enclosure, the bailey, adjoined the ringwork. Ringworks acted as strongholds for military operations and in some cases as defended aristocratic or manorial settlements. They are rare nationally with only 200 recorded examples and less than 60 with baileys. As such, and as one of a limited number and very restricted range of Anglo-Saxon and Norman fortifications, ringworks are of particular significance to our understanding of the period.

Despite limited excavation, The Crump ringwork is well preserved and will retain archaeological information pertaining to the occupation of the site and environmental evidence relating both to the economy of its inhabitants and the landscape in which they lived.

Details

The monument comprises a ringwork known as The Crump and is situated on an east-facing slope overlooking the River Stort. The monument includes a raised area of ground which measures 32m in diameter at the base and stands c.3m high. The top of the raised area is saucer-shaped and is 10m in diameter and c.1m deep. This may be due to partial excavation or possibly subsidence of this area. Surrounding the raised area is a moat which has a maximum width of 12m and is about 1.5m deep. The western half of the moat remains waterfilled, while the eastern half has become silted up over the years. In 1958 the owner excavated a small trench in the interior of the mound. A clay floor and a packed post hole were found along with some 12th century pottery and metal fragments.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract. It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features, considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

20665

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
SMR No: 122, Information from SMR (No 122),

End of official list entry

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