Rectangular earthwork enclosure in Hill Wood, 650m south east of Grimsdyke Farm

Reasons for Designation

Enclosures provide evidence of land use and agricultural practices in the prehistoric and Romano-British periods, although later examples are also known. They were constructed as stock pens or as protected areas for crop growing and were sometimes subdivided to provide temporary dwellings for stock, farmers or herdsmen. The size and form of enclosures may vary considerably depending on their particular function. Their variation in form, longevity and their relationship to other monument classes, including extensive field systems, provides important information on the diversity of social organisation and farming practices. Enclosures are central to our understanding of the development of the rural landscape and well-preserved examples are considered worthy of protection. The enclosure in Hill Wood survives well and will contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to its construction and use, and to the nature of the landscape in which it was built. The part infilling of the ditches will have resulted in the enhanced preservation of organic remains in the primary archaeological deposits.

Details

The monument includes a roughly rectangular earthwork enclosure, believed to be Iron Age in date, which is situated in Hill Wood, 650m south east of Grimsdyke Farm. The enclosure lies on a steep east-facing slope with its only original entrance in the south west (uphill) corner. The enclosure measures approximately 115m east-west and 55m north-south and is surrounded by a shallow ditch which measures from 12m to 13.6m wide and now stands open to a depth of 0.4m. This ditch is partly infilled with accumulated leaf litter and will survive as a buried feature about 1m deep. A low earthwork 0.2m high and about 2m wide around the entrance in the south western corner is believed to represent the remains of a rampart bank. All fences are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath them is included.

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:

28111

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
Title: SP 42 SW Source Date: 1960 Author: Publisher: Surveyor: 1:10560 Map quarter sheet
PRN 2399, C.A.O., HILLWOOD EARTHWORK, GLYMPTON, (1992)

End of official list entry

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