Reasons for Designation
Constructed by either stripping the turf to expose the bedrock beneath, or by
cutting bedding trenches and packing them with chalk rubble, hill figures are
an extremely rare phenomenon nationally with only 40 or so identified, most
of which are to be found on the chalk downs of southern England.
Archaeological opinion is divided as to the date of the earliest examples,
some of which may have their origins in the late prehistoric or Romano-British
period. However, most appear to belong to the post-medieval period, of which
those from the 20th century are by far the most numerous with 26 examples
recorded nationally. With the exception of one figure cut as an advertisement,
the remainder of 20th century hill figures appear to have been cut for
commemorative purposes, with a significant proportion dating to World War I
and intended to record the presence of military units in specific localities.
The 19 badges and motifs either visible today as surface features or surviving
as buried deposits on Fovant, Compton and Sutton Downs represent by far the
largest and most complete group of hill figures in England. They are prominent
features in the landscape and along with the military graves in nearby
churchyards are a visible record of the importance of the area during World
War I. Their significance is further enhanced by their association with a
number of regiments or units which were either subsequently disbanded, or
whose members left Fovant to fight in some of the most bloody battles of World
War I.
Details
The monument, which falls into two separate areas of protection, consists of
two chalk military badges cut into the northern slopes of Sutton Down
overlooking the Shaftesbury to Salisbury road and the village of Sutton
Mandeville.
The badges were cut by troops stationed in and around Fovant during World War
I and were constructed by excavating a series of shallow bedding trenches into
which clean chalk rubble was inserted and compressed into place. The first
badge to have been cut was that of the 7th (City of London) Battalion, the
London Regiment. Known colloquially as the `Shiny Seventh' because of their
distinctive cap badge, a white metal `7' on a brass grenade, the battalion
underwent training in the locality between January and May 1916. The second
badge, 200m to the WNW is that of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment, elements of
which were stationed around Fovant from March 1917.
A further series of badges and motifs on Fovant and Compton Downs are the
subject of separate schedulings.
All fences are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath them
is included.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
33964
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Books and journals
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
