Medieval settlement 520m north east of Lower Beversbrook Farm

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 last 1500 years or more. This monument lies in the Cotswold Scarp and Vales sub-Province of the Central Province, a scarp and vale landscape extending south eastwards from the clays and alluvium of the Severn Plain, over the limestones of the Cotswolds to the Oxford Clay Vale. Villages and hamlets concentrate thickly in the Severn Valley and the Vale of Pewsey, but are only moderately dense elsewhere. They are most thinly scattered on the higher ridge of the north east Cotswolds, an area where in 1851 there were low populations and frequent deserted villages. Overall, there are very low concentrations of dispersed farmsteads, the only exceptions being the Vale of Pewsey and the Upper Avon and Thames watershed.

The medieval rural settlement 520m north east of Lower Beversbrook Farm is well preserved and is a good example of its class within this sub-Province. 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 earthwork remains of a medieval settlement located to the north east of Lower Beversbrook Farm on low lying land on the outskirts of Calne. The earthworks are linear in plan, 500m long with a hollow way running almost the whole length on the eastern margin. Flanking this to the north west are a series of long rectilinear platforms. At the north east end of the hollow way, the earthworks broaden into a series of well defined square platforms and enclosures. Most prominent of these is a square platform 1.5m high surrounded by a moat 1m deep and 4m wide. Ridge and furrow abutts the earthworks to the north and east, the best preserved areas of which are included in the scheduling. The village is listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Beversbroc and was presented a chapel in 1298. All fenceposts, cattle troughs and cattle feeders 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. 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:

31656

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
Canham, R A, Aerial Photography in Wiltshire 1975-81, Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine, (1981)

End of official list entry

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