More information : (SJ 555 693) Field boundary
In 1987 the RCHME carried out a detailed analytical field survey (at Level 3 standard) of Castle Ditch hillfort (SJ 56 NE 1). The fieldwork recorded a degraded field boundary bank running down the south-eastern slope of the hill (1a). In May 2000, English Heritage carried out a desk-top assessment and Level 1 survey of Old Pale Farm, and the earthwork was given a new NMR number to enhance the record. The earthwork is shown as a field boundary on a map of 1817 by E Fuller (Cheshire CRO: DTM 94), but may be of earlier origin. Although the relationship of the boundary to the hillfort is unclear, its intersection at right angles with a second boundary that follows the edge of a trackway running along the foot of the slope suggests that these two may be contemporary. The trackway may have provided access to The Chamber in the Forest (SJ 56 NE 2), the medieval administrative centre for the Forest of Delamere; therefore the field boundary may also be of medieval date, although an earlier or later origin cannot be ruled out.
Following a scheduling amendment in 1995, the earthworks are included within the scheduled area of SAM 25692. A written report and plans are available from the NMR archive. (1) |