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.
Sources
Books and journals Websites https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/professional/research/landscapes-and-areas/national-mapping-programme/north-devon-aonb-nmp/ 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
