Reasons for Designation
The size and form of Iron Age enclosed settlements vary considerably from
single farmsteads up to large semi-urban oppida. Farmsteads are generally
represented by curvilinear enclosures containing evidence of a small group of
circular domestic buildings and associated agricultural structures. Where
excavated, these sites are also found to contain storage pits for grain and
other produce, evidence of an organised and efficient farming system. The
surrounding enclosures would have provided protection against cattle rustling
and tribal raiding.
In central southern England, most enclosed Iron Age farmsteads are situated in
areas which are now under intensive arable cultivation. As a result, although
some examples survive with upstanding earthworks, the majority have been
recorded as crop- and soil-marks appearing on aerial photographs.
Details
The monument includes Farway Castle, an earthwork enclosure identified as an
Iron Age farmstead situated in south east Devon 8km south of Honiton on the
high ground of an extensive Greensand plateau where it forms the watershed of
the south-flowing River Sid.
The monument is sited within a plantation of trees on a wide ridge of level
ground. It includes a large circular enclosure of some 53m diameter created by
a bank with an external ditch. The bank is 7.5m in overall width and 0.5m-0.8m
in height above the internal ground surface. It has a gradual inner slope, a
flat top, and a steep outer face falling directly into the ditch. The ditch is
between 2m and 4m in width and 0.5m deep, with a gradual outer slope. It is
subject to seasonal waterlogging in the south west quadrant. The circuit of
the enclosure is complete, with no breaks in the bank, or causeways across the
ditch. The overall diameter of the monument is c.76m.
The earliest known reference to the monument is in an inventory of the
mid-18th century compiled by Dean Milles. It was also recorded in 1868 by
Kirwan. The earthwork appears to have been modified, and one or more entrances
were destroyed when the bank was converted into a continuous field boundary in
the 18th or 19th centuries to separate a new plantation of trees from
surrounding heathland. Some of the larger round barrows in the vicinity have
also been modified, and have supporting documentary evidence of their reuse.
The enclosure lies adjacent to the round barrow cemetery on Farway Hill. A
bronze palstave was found in the vicinity of the enclosure in the 19th
century.
Within the protected area all fence posts are excluded from the monument,
although the ground beneath them is included.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
24851
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Books and journals
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
