Deserted medieval settlement 300m ESE of Wraxall House

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.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.

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
Sykes, C M, Medieval Archaeology in Excavations At A Deserted Medieval Settlement Near Wraxall, Vol. 5, (1961), 10

Other
Details of 14th century pottery,

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