Reasons for Designation
Medieval rural settlements in England were marked by great regional diversity
in form, size and type, and the protection of their archaeological remains
needs to take these differences into account. To do this, England has been
divided into three broad Provinces on the basis of each area's distinctive
mixture of nucleated and dispersed settlements. These can be further divided
into sub-Provinces and local regions, possessing characteristics which have
gradually evolved during the past 1500 years or more.
This monument lies in the East Wessex sub-Province of the south-eastern
Province, an area in which settlement characteristics are shaped by strong
contrasts in terrain. This is seen in the division between the chalk Downs,
where chains of nucleated settlements concentrate in the valleys, and the
Hampshire Basin, still dominated by the woodlands and open commons of the
ancient New Forest, where nucleated sites are largely absent. Along the
coastal strip extending into Sussex are more nucleations, while in Hampshire
some coastal areas and inland valleys are marked by high densities of
dispersed settlement, much of it post-medieval.
The Berkshire Downs and Marlborough Downs local region is characterised by
extremely low densities of dispersed settlements on the downland, with
villages and dense `strings' of hamlets and farmsteads in the well-watered
valleys. Modern settlements are interspersed with the earthworks of abandoned
medieval settlement sites.
The medieval rural settlement of Woodhill is well preserved and is a good
example of its type. It will contain archaeological remains and environmental
evidence relating to the monument and the landscape in which it was
constructed.
Details
The monument includes the remains of the medieval rural settlement of Woodhill
in the parish of Clyffe Pypard, located directly to the north and west of
Woodhill Park Farm, incorporating a moated site and fishponds. The site lies
on the low clay plain about 0.5km to the north of a prominent chalk scarp
forming the north west edge of the Marlborough Downs. A hollow way up to 20m
wide and over 400m long is flanked on both sides by rectangular house
platforms and ditched enclosures. The most prominent feature is a large,
triangular platform and moat in the north east corner of the site, interpreted
as the remains of the manor house. The moat is steep-sided and up to 6m deep,
and has been enlarged to the north and east to form a fishpond. The latter is
bounded on the east by a mound 3m high. A second fishpond 150m long lies to
the west of the moat. To the north west a 100m length of hollow way and
associated platforms have been denuded by ploughing and are not included in
the scheduling.
Woodhill, one of the scattered tythings of the parish of Clyffe Pypard, is
mentioned in Domesday and is recorded in the lay subsidy of 1334 and the poll
tax of 1377.
All fenceposts and water troughs as well as the two farm tracks crossing the
site are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath these
features is included.
MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.
