Upper Ditchford medieval settlement

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 Inner Midlands sub-Province of the Central Province, an area characterised by large numbers of nucleated settlements, both surviving and deserted, many of which are thought to have been established in Anglo-Saxon times. Most of the sub-Province's thinly scattered dispersed settlements were created in post-medieval times, but some of the local regions are characterised by higher proportions of dispersed dwellings and hamlets, which probably mark the patchy survival of older landscapes.

The medieval settlement of Upper Ditchford is a good example of a nucleated medieval settlement in this subprovince. The monument will contain archaeological deposits and environmental evidence relating to the settlement and the landscape in which it was constructed.

Details

The monument includes a medieval settlement built into the slope of a south west facing hillside in the Cotswolds. The settlement includes earthworks representing the sites of houses and other village features, while surrounding the settlement on all sides is evidence of medieval agriculture in the form of ridge and furrow. At the centre of the settlement is a broad street and village green, with house platforms and side streets flanking it. The platforms are 0.5m to 0.75m high. In the north east part of the site is a large depression which represents the site of the village pond. Within the settlement and in the surrounding ridge and furrow are a number of earth mounds, each about 0.5m high and 5.5m in diameter, which are thought to be clearance mounds. From the south and east streets or hollow ways lead from the fields. The ridge and furrow surrounding the settlement is quite broad, with ridges about 4m wide and 0.3m high. A sample providing evidence of its relationship with the settlement is included in the scheduling. Documentary evidence indicates that the village became ruinous at the end of the 15th century. The are post and wire 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.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

28852

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
SMR No 373, Gloucester C. C. SMR,

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