More information : NZ 0602 1502 (centre of field south-west of Abbey Farm).
The field contains ridge and furrow which has been largely levelled by later cultivation. Two ponds and slight linear scaps are visible between the southern end of the ploughing and the nearby boundary of the field.
The eastern pond is located at NZ 0609 1499 above the farmstead. It is now used as a beast pond but was probably dug originally as a reservoir to supply the farmstead with water. A bank to the west is the site of a former field boundary which may have been designed to keep animals away from the pond so that they could not pollute the water. The pond is rectangular in plan and measures a maximum of 19m by 14m. It may be of early nineteenth century date.
The western pond is at NZ 0609 1499 and is no longer used; it is largely silted up but still collects water in its bottom after prolonged wet weather. It is roughly rectangular in plan and measures 15m by 9m and about 0.9m deep. It is probably a former beast pond.
The western pond seems to be later in date than a small number of intermittent linear scarps which follow a sinuous course acrss the southern end of the field. They could represent a former plough headland, a track, or even the remnants of a largely filled in watercourse.
This field was examined by English Heritage during its archaeological investigation of the area around Egglestone Abbey in November 2000. The Survey Report - 'The Medieval and Later Landscape at Egglestone Abbey, Teesdale, County Durham' - contains additional information about the earthworks in this field. (1) |