Reasons for Designation
Ringworks are medieval fortifications built and occupied from the late
Anglo-Saxon period to the later 12th century. They comprised a small defended
area containing buildings which was surrounded or partly surrounded by a
substantial ditch and a bank surmounted by a timber palisade or, rarely, a
stone wall. Occasionally a more lightly defended embanked enclosure, the
bailey, adjoined the ringwork. Ringworks acted as strongholds for military
operations and in some cases as defended aristocratic or manorial settlements.
They are rare nationally with only 200 recorded examples and less than 60
with baileys. As such, and as one of a limited number and very restricted
range of Anglo-Saxon and Norman fortifications, ringworks are of particular
significance to our understanding of the period.
Details
The monument includes the earthwork and buried remains of a ringwork occupying
a slightly elevated position in an area of gently undulating and formerly
marshy land. It is one of a number of early medieval castle sites in this area
which controlled the movement of people along the valley between the Breidden
hills and Long Mountain. The closest of these castles survive at Wollaston and
Bretchel, at a distance of 500m and 1.25km respectively. Both of these castles
are the subject of separate schedulings.
The ringwork north of Lane Farm is a D-shaped enclosure where the internal
area has been raised above the level of the surrounding land to form a
flat-topped mound, measuring approximately 43m by 58m across the top and 50m
by 68m at its base. For the most part the mound stands about 1m high, but to
the east, where there is a natural depression, its height increases to 1.8m.
The mound was surmounted by a bank around its outer edge. This bank is no
longer visible as an upstanding earthwork as it has been levelled by
successive phases of ploughing since the 19th century. Evidence for it will,
however, survive as a buried feature. The mound is defined by a ditch about 4m
wide on its western side and up to 10m wide on its eastern side. An outer
bank, about 6m wide, on the western and northern western sides provided an
additional line of defence. The ditch has mainly been infilled during the
cultivation of the area and the external bank has also been spread and reduced
in height by ploughing. The remains of these defences will survive as buried
features.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
33841
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Books and journals 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
