Earthwork enclosure 850m north of Mere Down Farm

Reasons for Designation

Earthern 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. Although it has been partially reduced by ploughing, the prehistoric earthwork enclosure to the north of Mere Down Farm is a good example of this type of monument. The association of the enclosure with the surrounding field system provides an important insight into late prehistoric farming practice in this area.

Details

The monument includes a prehistoric earthwork enclosure situated 850m north of Mere Down Farm the north facing slope of Middle Hill, a ridge of Upper Chalk to the south of Kingston Deverill. The enclosure is rectangular, 150m long and 75m wide, with its long axis orientated roughly east-west. It consists of an inner bank up to 6m wide and 1.2m high surrounded by a ditch 0.5m deep and up to 4m wide. To the north east this is flanked by an outer bank 3m wide and 1.2m high. There is an entrance to the south east comprising a causeway across the ditch 3m wide. The bank and ditch to the west, the ditch to the south and the bank to the western end of the south side have been reduced by ploughing and are visible as soilmarks. The centre of the enclosure has also been ploughed. Aerial photographs of the enclosure show that it aligns with a surrounding late prehistoric field system and may represent an adaption of one of the fields. The field system, which has been reduced by cultivation, is not included in the scheduling.

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:

31682

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Grinsell, L V, The Victoria History of the County of Wiltshire, (1957), 266

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