Lynchets approximately 34m north-west of Saunton Sands Hotel

Summary

The earthwork and buried remains of agricultural terraces of probable medieval date.

Reasons for Designation

The medieval lynchets to the north-west of Saunton Sands Hotel, Saunton are scheduled for the following principal reasons:
* Survival: as good survivals which are undisturbed by later farming activities;
Potential: they will contribute to our understanding of agricultural practices in this part of Devon and provide an insight into the former exploitation of areas now considered to be unproductive.

History

For several hundred years, up until the early C14, the population of England grew steadily and more and more land was devoted to cereal cultivation. By the C13 hunger led to a great deal of inherently poor land being ploughed up, and in hillier parts of England such as Wessex, the Cotswolds, Herefordshire and parts of Yorkshire, for instance, cultivation terraces or lynchets were created (or prehistoric ones reoccupied). Lynchets are, therefore, most commonly seen on steep hillsides, and developed as a result of the plough cutting into the upper edge of the slope and the resulting material being deposited along the downslope edge of the terrace. They are characterised by the presence of a terrace or platform known as a `tread' and a scarp known as a `riser', and can vary in length, with some examples exceeding 200m, many systems include groups of three lynchets, while others are known to contain six or more.

A group of five lynchets are visible on the steep hillside above Saunton Sands and are depicted on historic Ordnance Survey maps published in 1889 and 1904, although incorrectly marked as a ‘Camp’. The earthworks are visible on aerial photographs from 1942 and also on images derived from LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) information captured in 2006-2007. They are considered to date from the medieval period (D. Hall, sources) and are marked as cultivation terraces on the current OS map.The lynchets complement Braunton's Great Field, one of England's best-surviving open field landscapes.

Details

PRINCIPAL ELEMENTS
The earthworks and buried remains of agricultural terraces of probable medieval date which are situated in an elevated location on a steep, south-facing slope above Saunton Sands.

DESCRIPTION
These linear earthworks extend circa 400 metres east to west along the contour, and up to 120 metres north to south up the slope. They comprise a group of approximately parallel linear scarps which divide the slope into a series of at least five comparatively level terraces or platforms. They are clearly visible on both aerial photographs and the LiDAR information; the terraces are between 5-10m wide, separated by slopes measuring up to 3.5m high and 7-14m wide. Although covered by gorse and scrub vegetation, the earthworks are considered to survive undisturbed.

There are two further possible narrow lynchets to the north, but they are probably natural features since they are similar in form to the smooth linear ridges visible to the west. However, they appear to have also been enhanced by soil movement caused by medieval cultivation and are therefore not included in the scheduling.

EXCLUSIONS
The post and wire fencing and electricity poles are excluded from the monument, but the ground beneath these features is, however, included.

Sources

Books and journals
Hall, D, The Open Fields of England, (2014), 247

Websites
North Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty NMP Project: A National Mapping Programme Report, S Knight & C Hegaty, April 2013, accessed 19 January 2015 from https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/professional/research/landscapes-and-areas/national-mapping-programme/north-devon-aonb-nmp/

Other
Devon Historic Environment Record, MDV563 Earthworks on Saunton Down

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