Reasons for Designation
Enclosures are a diverse group within which examples may variously provide
evidence of settlement, land use or agricultural practices for any stage
beween the prehistoric and post-medieval periods. Some examples are known from
part excavation to have had a particular purpose and belonged to a specific
period; many, however, remain poorly understood. Within the context of
enclosures generally, except in upland areas, earthwork examples are
comparatively rare, the majority being known from crop or soil marks recorded
on aerial photographs. On the chalk downlands of Wessex enclosures were often
constructed between the late prehistoric and medieval periods as settlements,
stock pens or as protected areas for crop growing. They were sometimes
subdivided to provide temporary accommodation for stock, farmers or herdsmen.
The size and form of enclosures may vary considerably depending on their
particular function.
The enclosures 500m south east of Ivy Farm are most likely to date from the
later Iron Age or Romano-British period and are two of a number which lie
within the wider environs of Danebury hillfort, a landscape which has been
intensively studied. Enclosures of this type may represent a level of
settlement associated with, but of a lower status to, that represented by
hillforts. They will contain archaeological deposits clarifying this
relationship by providing information about their construction, use and
associated economy and environment.
Details
The monument includes the buried remains of two irregular settlement
enclosures and associated linear features lying on level ground 500m south
east of Ivy Farm.
The enclosures, which are aligned approximately north-south, are no longer
visible on the ground and the details of their form have been derived from
cropmarks visible on aerial photographs. The southern enclosure is of simple
form, sub-rectangular with rounded corners, c.100m (north west-south east)
by 70m and encloses an area of 0.74ha. The northern enclosure appears to be
built onto the southern example. It is aligned in a similar direction, is
irregular in shape, measures a maximum of 80m (north west-south east) by 65m
and encloses an area of 0.49ha. There is a gap c.20m wide on the southern
corner of this enclosure which may represent an original entrance. Linear
features immediately adjacent to and parallel with the longest sides of the
two enclosures are included within the scheduling. An additional linear
feature, visible on aerial photographs to the north west of the northern
enclosure, has no proven association with the enclosures and is not included
in the scheduling.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
26793
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
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
