| Summary : An enclosure, probably medieval, surviving as an earthwork within the precinct of Haughmond Abbey. The embanked enclosure lies to the east of the medieval dam, and south of the pond. It measures 80 metres east/west, by 60 metres north/south, and is defined by a substantial bank on the south and south-west sides, the former aligned along an earlier plough ridge. Excepting the east side, the bank appears to comprise single dumps of earth, presumably using material resulting from the levelling of the interior, and from a flat-bottomed quarry trench at the foot of the bank on the west. The east side is likely to result from a collapsed later field wall which was probably aligned along the original east side of the enclosure. The enclosure must post-date the abandonment of the field system, but is earlier than the circa 18th century pond and dam, although the enclosure may be contemporary with, and related to, the smaller pond to the north.A number of features within the interior may or may not relate to the enclosure itself. A building platform within the enclosure may relate to the site of a dovecote, as the field was referred to as Dovehouse Meadow in the 18th century, and is unlikely to be medieval in date. A track leads to it that also likely dates to the post-medieval period, and may have been associated with the Sundorne carriage drive - the platform providing a vantage point during that period. |
More information : (SJ 5417 1543) Livestock enclosure.
Between January and December 2002, English Heritage carried out a detailed analytical field survey of the environs of the standing buildings of Haughmond Abbey (Event record 1384572) (1). The survey, which covered an area of 19ha, was intended to inform the site's management and to put into context the findings of the small-scale excavations carried out between 1975 and 1979.
For further details, see Archaeological Investigation Report AI/10/2003, which includes photographs, plans at various scales, interpretative diagrams and a full textual description and analysis. (1)
Scheduled. (2) |