More information : A possible medieval roadway and ridge and furrow field can be seen as earthworks on air photography. The road is heavily embanked on both edges. There is a crossroads centered at SE 29615 67234, with roads converging from the north, south, east and west, as well as a possible road approaching from the south-east. The road heading west seems to form the main approach to Markingfield Hall (SE 26 NE 5 UID 51868). The ridge and furrow fields are interesting in that they appear to have been modified at a later date by putting another furrow down the center of the ridges, to make a more narrow cultivation pattern, possibly indicating post-medieval use. Cutting through the ridge and furrow roughly aligned with the entrance to Markingfield Hall is a possible hollow way heading south. Also cutting the ridge and furrow are four pillow mounds (SE 26 NE 121 UID 1380599). (1)
Medieval drove roads and an area of possible settlement containing poorly-defined building platforms, ditches, pits, hollows and banks are visible on historic air photos in fields to the south and east of Markenfield Hall around SE4294 4671. The ridge and furrow and pillow mounds described above are now recorded in two separate records (UID 1534338 and 1534353).
There are two distinct drove roads, A and B. Road A is aligned near north to south and visible between SE2964 6709 and SE2959 6727. At its southern end it appears to start a turn to the east but this is large obscured by a later field boundary. Road A may originally have continued further north but this area is now covered with a large volume of overburden (see UID 51868). Road B appears to run from SE2967 6756 to SE2948 6722 and so sweep around the south-eastern side of the Hall. Both roads are defined by a slight hollowing averaging 10m wide with substantial banks to either side. They intersect at SE2960 6723 but as the northern bank of Road B continues across the path of Road A it is possible that its continuation to the north was abandoned at some point (perhaps as a consequence of the overburden (see UID 51868).
In a small area to the south of the Hall there are a series of earthworks including possible building platforms and hollows which may indicate the site of former settlement. However the main indication of settlement is the apparent absence of ridge and furrow. Road B appears to terminate quite abruptly in this area, although some of the banks suggest it may have turned to the north, and thus into a direct alignment with the entrance to the Hall¿s moat. There are other linear ditches in this area, which continue southward across the ridge and furrow (UID 1534338), these are probably of post medieval date.
At its north eastern end Road B continues the alignment of the Park Pale which surrounds the Hall (see UID 1534341). It is possible the Road B formed part of the park boundary.
Most of these features appear to survive as earthworks on 2009 Google Earth air photos and on lidar derived images
(2-6)
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