More information : A double-ditched sub-rectangular enclosure with annexe, revealed by
air photography W of Castle Farm, at SJ 725096, has been scheduled as
an Ancient Monument, Salop No 207/1964, the site, reported to be of IA type, is set on a ridge above the N bank of the Wesley Brook.
Nothing is Visible in the arable field. (1)
Enclosure centred at SJ 72440951. (2)
The site of this earthwork is in a non-defensive position in a shallow valley. The enclosed area would have been roughly level, forming a platform with a steep drop of 3 or 4 metres to a stream on the south side and gentle slopes on the north, west and east sides with rising ground beyond them to the north. The field was under sugar beet at
the time of investigation. None of the slopes appear to be
artificial. (3)
Castle Farm. The area is to be inundated by damming the Wesley Brook.Excavations are currently being undertaken in the area of the possiblemoat, and the cropmark on the north side of the brook. It is also
proposed to investigate the extant buildings of Castle Farm.
Cropmarks accuratley plotted by NMR Oct 1977 (see illustration). (4)
In 1980 the double-ditched enclosure, previously discovered from the air, was partially excavated. The ditches survived to a depth of c. 3m below the present ground level, and appeared to have been dug in straight contiguous sections, possibly indicating gangwork. Although the two ditches are parallel, it is not clear if they were contemporary. Traces of a rampart were identified between the ditches, but no entrances were located. The south side of the enclosure has been destroyed by the Wesley Brook, and it was probably originally sub-circular and complete.
Very few features or prehistoric finds were discovered within the interior, but those which were recovered date to the Bronze and Iron Ages.
This site may now be partially covered by a reservoir. (5)
SJ 725096. Site N of Castle Farm. Scheduled under Camps and Settlements. (6)
Full report on the excavation of a cropmark site of a curvilinear double ditched enclosure. Dating evidence was sparse which makes interpretation difficult. It is suggested that initially the enclosure was defined by a single ditch, with the outer ditch possibly added at a later date, probably in the Roman period, although there remains the possibility that this ditch was dug in the medieval period for drainage. The Iron Age enclosure, whether comprising of one or two ditches appears to have been unfinished and largely unoccupied. (7) |