Reasons for Designation
This site 300m ESE of Wraxall House is one of a number of medieval settlements
known in the area of Levels to the north-west of the Mendip Hills. This area
became more intensively occupied during the medieval period when large areas
were drained for the first time.
The site has an unusual form with earthworks suggesting use of the adjacent
watercourse to run a watermill.
The site survives well as earthworks, and partial excavation has demonstrated
the survival of buried archaeological remains and environmental evidence
relating to the monument, its occupants, their economy and the landscape in
which they lived.
Details
The monument includes a deserted medieval settlement situated on low-lying
ground adjacent to the River Yeo, 300m ESE of Wraxall House.
The monument is defined by the present extent of earthworks which represent
the remains of structures including houses, enclosures and an associated
irrigation system. The earthworks survive to a maximum height of 1.6m.
Among the earthwork remains at least two large building platforms can be
identified, at the north and in the centre of the site. The northern example
is 30m long and 10m wide and the central example 20m long and 8m wide. In the
north-eastern area of the settlement there is a windmill mound c.10m across
and c.1m high. Linking these features, and connecting with the River Yeo, is a
network of water channels, now dry, surviving up to 1.2m wide. These suggest
that the site may have had an industrial function, possibly including a
watermill, a further and possibly later example of which is located beyond the
monument c.300m downstream.
Partial excavation of the site in 1959 confirmed the medieval date of the
monument and also identified a structure of `L` shaped plan which dated to the
13th century AD. Finds of pottery dating to the 14th century suggest that the
site was occupied over an extended period.
Excluded from the scheduling are the field gate and all fence posts relating
to field boundaries although the ground beneath all these features is
included.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
22840
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Books and journals Other
Legal
This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
End of official list entry
