Summary

Defended enclosure 200m south of Stowegreen Farm and north east of Stowe.

Source: Historic England

Details

This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 25 September 2015. The record has been generated from an "old county number" (OCN) scheduling record. These are monuments that were not reviewed under the Monuments Protection Programme and are some of our oldest designation records.

The monument includes a defended enclosure situated on the summit of a small spur overlooking the upper valley of the Mork Brook. The enclosure survives as a roughly oval central area of approximately 0.2ha defined by a rampart bank measuring up to 3.2m high and a partially buried outer ditch on all sides except the northern where it has been cut by a later track and quarry. There appears to be an entrance to the south. The exact date of the enclosure is unknown. Some sources suggest it is an Iron Age defended settlement whilst others believe it is medieval in origin and is a small ringwork.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

During the Iron Age a variety of different types of settlement were constructed and occupied in western England. At the top of the settlement hierarchy were hillforts built in prominent locations. In addition to these a group of smaller sites, known as defended settlements, were also constructed. Some of these were located on hilltops, others in less prominent positions. They are generally smaller than the hillforts, sometimes with an enclosed area of less than 1ha. The enclosing defences were of earthen construction. Univallate sites have a single bank and ditch, multivallate sites more than one. At some sites these earthen ramparts represent a second phase of defence, the first having been a timber fence or palisade. Where excavated, evidence of stone- or timber-built houses has been found within the enclosures, which, in contrast to the hillfort sites, would have been occupied by small communities, perhaps no more than a single family group. Defended settlements are a rare monument type. They were an important element of the settlement pattern, particularly in the upland areas and are integral to any study of the developing use of fortified settlements during this period.

Ringworks are medieval fortifications built and occupied from the late Anglo-Saxon period to the later 12th century. They comprised a small defended area containing buildings which was surrounded or partly surrounded by a substantial ditch and a bank surmounted by a timber palisade or, rarely, a stone wall. Occasionally a more lightly defended embanked enclosure. Ringworks acted as strongholds for military operations and in some cases as defended aristocratic or manorial settlements. They are rare nationally with only 200 recorded examples. As one of a limited number and very restricted range of Anglo-Saxon and Norman fortifications, ringworks are of particular significance to our understanding of the period.

The date of the defended enclosure 200m south of Stowegreen Farm is not known with certainty and could conceivably be of either type. It will contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to its construction, date, longevity, social organisation, territorial significance, strategic importance, domestic arrangements and overall landscape context.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
PastScape 109414

Source: Historic England