Enclosure in Parsonage Wood

Reasons for Designation

Hilltop enclosures are defined as sub-rectangular or elongated areas of ground, usually between 10ha and 40ha in size, situated on hilltops or plateaux and surrounded by slight univallate earthworks. They date to between the Bronze Age and Early Iron Age (eighth-fifth centuries BC) and are usually interpreted as stock enclosures or sites where agricultural produce was stored. Many examples of hilltop enclosures may have developed into more strongly defended sites later in the Iron Age period and are therefore often difficult to recognise in their original form. The earthworks generally consist of a bank separated from an external ditch by a level berm. Access to the interior was generally provided by two or three entrances which consisted of simple gaps in the rampart. Evidence for internal features is largely dependent on excavation, and to date this has included large areas of sparsely scattered features including post and stakeholes, hearths and pits. Rectangular or square buildings are also evident; these are generally defined by between four and six postholes and are thought to have supported raised granaries. Hilltop enclosures are rare, with between 25 and 30 examples recorded nationally. A greater number may exist but these could have been developed into hillforts later in the Iron Age and could only be confirmed by detailed survey or excavation. The majority of known examples are located in two regions, on the chalk downland of Wessex and Sussex and in the Cotswolds. More scattered examples are found in north-east Oxfordshire and north Northamptonshire. This class of monument has not been recorded outside England. In view of the rarity of hilltop enclosures and their importance in understanding the transition between Bronze Age and Iron Age communities, all examples with surviving archaeological remains are believed to be of national importance.

Despite afforestation, the hilltop enclosure in Parsonage Wood survives comparatively well and will provide information concerning the character of later prehistoric agricultural economy on the fringes of Dartmoor. This enclosure is one of a group of three later prehistoric enclosures lying within the Lyd valley.

Details

This monument includes an enclosure, interpreted as a later prehistoric hilltop enclosure, situated on a steep inland promontory overlooking the valley of the River Lyd. The monument survives as an oval enclosure which measures internally 38.3m long from south west to north east by 33.4m wide from north west to south east. It is defined to the north and west by a bank which measures up to 6.4m wide and 0.7m high and an outer ditch which measures 5.2m wide and 0.4m deep. The whole enclosure slopes to the south and to the south and west is defined by the natural steeply sloping valley sides. There is no trace of an entrance.

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:

30348

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Silvester, R J, Balkwill, C J, Devon Archaeological Society Proceedings in Hill-Slope Enclosures In The Lyd Valley, West Devon, Vol. 35, (1977), 81-4

End of official list entry

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