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BROOMFIELD CAMP

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A possible late Prehistoric and/or Roman enclosure is situated on the edge of a spur, with steep slopes to the SE and SW, between 225m and 230m above OD. An exploratory excavation of the NW side of the enclosure carried out in 1964 found two sherds of probably Iron Age pottery. The enclosure appears to have been defined by two banks, separated by a ditch but does not survive in this form for a complete circuit. The internal bank encloses a rectangular area measuring 110m by 80m. A kink in the south east side of the enclosure appears on some aerial photographs to indictae a gap and may be the site of an entrance but it is not clear from the photos alone. Field investigation suggests that the outer element is part of the prehistoric enclosure. The enclosure has been gradually ploughed smooth for over fifty years but has been recorded at regular intervals on aerial photographs during this time. The enclosure is unusual in that it survives as an earthwork but is of a comparable to shape to numerous Prehistoric and/or Roman settlement enclosures visible as cropmarks in the Southern Quantocks area. It is, however, larger than the majority of these enclosures and so may indicate a different use or status.

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[ST 21563198, sited from plan] An exploratory excavation of
an earthwork, first identified from aerial photographs about 15 years
ago, was conducted by King's College Taunton Archaeological Society
on the 17th and 18th of May 1964.
The earthwork appears to be rougly rectangular, and to enclose an
area of 1.72 acres. Excavation proved the bank on the N.W. side to
be artificial, and to have had an outer, rock cut, ditch 8 1/4 ft.
deep and 12 ft. wide. Two sherds of I.A. pottery were found in the
ditch at depths of 3 ft. 10 ins. and 5 ft. 6 ins.
No conclusion was reached as to the date or purpose of the earthwork. (1)

The earthwork is situated on the edge of a spur with steep natural
slopes to the south-east and south-west.
It consists mainly of a fairly strong scarp which on the south-east,
together with the bank and short section of ditch on the north-east,
has been spread by ploughing. There is no definite entrance but the
best approach is from the north.
Mr. Hallam (a) dates the pottery I.A. 'A' and considers the earthwork to be of the same period. It is not a particularly defensive work
and is probably a small farmstead or stock enclosure.

Surveyed at 1/2500. (2)

The feature is named as 'Higher Castles', and it is suggested that
the field boundary to its NE might follow the line of an outwork. (3)

ST 216 320. A sub-rectangular univallate enclosure (0.6 ha) a possible outwork 100m upslope to the NE.
Has been classified as Burrow's Group IV. (4)

Published report. (5)

The possible late Prehistoric and/or Roman enclosure described by the previous authorities has been mapped from aerial photographs. The enclosure appears to have been defined by two banks, separated by a ditch but does not survive in this form for a complete circuit. The internal bank encloses a rectangular area measuring 110m by 80m. A kink in the south east side of the enclosure appears on some aerial photographs to indicate a gap and may be the site of an entrance but it is not clear from the photos alone.

A possible outer work, which may yet prove to be simply a Post Medieval field boundary, extends parallel to the north and east sides of the enclosure and is situated 60m to the north east.

The enclosure has been gradually ploughed smooth for over fifty years but has been recorded at regular intervals on aerial photographs during this time.

The enclosure is unusual in that it survives as an earthwork but is of a comparable to shape to numerous Prehistoric and/or Roman settlement enclosures visible as cropmarks in the Southern Quantocks area. It is, however, larger than the majority of these enclosures and so may indicate a different use or status.
(6-9)

The enclosure at higher Castles, also known as Broomfield Camp, was recorded at a scale of 1:1000 using EDM and differential GPS as part of the EH survey of the Quantock Hills AONB. Full details and the plan are contained in the survey report (10, 11).

SOURCE TEXT

(10) Field Investigators Comments

Riley, H EH Field Investigation

(11) General reference

Riley, H 2004 Higher Castles, Broomfield, Somerset. EH Report

(1) General reference

MSS excavation report to be published in Som & Dorset N & Q with plan and section

(2) Field Investigators Comments

F1 JP 29-OCT-64

(2a) General reference

A D Hallam Taunton Museum

(3) by Leslie Grinsell 1976 Prehistoric sites in the Quantock country

Prehist Sites in the Quantock Country 1976 19 (L Grinsell)

(4) compiled by Rajka Makjanic and Rebecca Roseff 1994 British Archaeological Reports : complete catalogue 1974-1994

Brit Archaeol Rept 91 1981 264 (I Burrow)

(5) Notes and queries for Somerset and Dorset

Som & Dorset N & Q 28 1964 187-189 (J J Pytches)

(6) Oblique aerial photograph reference number

NMR ST2132/10-13 (21197/01-04) 04-MAY-2001

(7) Oblique aerial photograph reference number

NMR ST2132/14-18 ( 21132/07-11) 04-MAY-2001

(8) Vertical aerial photograph reference number

RAF 54S/2821 (F64) 323-4 27-APR-1964

(9) Vertical aerial photograph reference number

RAF CPE/UK/1944 2026-7 23-JAN-1947

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