Earthwork enclosure and dewpond 490m north of Barbury Castle

Reasons for Designation

Earthen enclosures provide evidence of land use and agricultural practices in the prehistoric and Romano-British period, 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 accommodation 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, provide information on the diversity and social organisation and farming practices through the period of their use. The earthwork enclosure located 490m north of Barbury Castle survives well and is known from part excavation to contain archaeological remains and environmental evidence relating to the monument and the landscape in which it was constructed. The later dewpond situated partly within the enclosure illustrates continuity of use into the medieval or post-medieval period.

Details

The monument includes an earthwork enclosure which lies on the flat plain below the downland escarpment occupied by Barbury Castle hillfort 490m to the south. The enclosure is rectangular in plan with slightly rounded corners and is 110m long by 100m wide. It is formed by a ditch up to 4m wide and up to 1m deep and a slight inner bank. The north eastern corner of the enclosure is partly overlain by a ditch constructed at a later date along its north side. The eastern side of the enclosure is not visible at ground level but can be traced on aerial photographs. Internal features of the enclosure include three shallow terraces, aligned from east to west, of which only two are now visible. A part excavation in the 19th century exposed the stone foundations of a wall along the ridge of the second terrace and produced Roman pottery. Further finds of Roman material suggest that the earthwork enclosure is of Roman date. Also included in the monument is a dewpond situated at the south eastern corner of the enclosure. Further enclosures immediately to the north are the subject of a separate scheduling. All fence posts, cattle feeders and horse jumps are excluded from the scheduling but the ground beneath 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:

28949

Legacy System:

RSM

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