Reasons for Designation
The Battery Bank, of which this monument forms a part, is made up of a series
of linear earthworks which extend discontinuously over a total distance of
about 5.5km. The earthworks are aligned along the plateau dividing the rivers
Piddle and Frome. Although not firmly dated, the monument is likely to be of
Romano-British or early medieval date; and given the wide gaps in its
alignment, demarcation is perhaps a more likely interpretation for the bank
than stock control or defence. The name `Battery Bank' is likely to be a
misnomer, relating to the Napoleonic period when the bank may have had a role
in military training exercises.
As a well preserved monument representing early medieval or earlier land
division, the Battery Bank is a comparatively unusual survival, and
consequently all surviving sections are considered to be of national
importance. This section survives well, its location illustrating clearly the
topographic setting into which the monument was placed.
Details
The monument includes a section of the linear boundary known as the Battery
Bank, situated on Binnegar Plain, a plateau overlooking the Piddle Valley to
the north and the Frome Valley to the south. The earthwork forms part of a
group of similar monuments which extend (discontinuously) for a distance of
5.5km along the natural ridge separating these valleys.
The earthwork includes a linear bank, aligned east-west, composed of earth,
sand and turf, with maximum dimensions of 180m in length, 10m in width and
about 0.75m in height. The bank has been breached by two tracks and some
sections of the bank have been partly reduced. To the north of the bank is a
ditch from which material was quarried during the construction of the
monument. To the east and at intermittent points, the ditch is visible as an
earthwork 1.5m wide. Elsewhere, the ditch has become infilled, but will
survive as a buried feature.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
29078
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Other
Legal
This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
End of official list entry
