Summary

Middle Brow Earthwork, 1.34km SSW of Westmeston Farm.

Source: Historic England

Details

This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 27 November 2014. 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 an earthwork denoted by a circular ditch with a hollow way running from a causeway on the north side. It is situated on an east facing slope near Big Bottom on the northern edge of the South Downs. The circular ditch measures 0.6m deep and 3.6m wide and encloses an area of approximately 25m across. On the north side a causeway leads 5m over the ditch to an ill-defined hollow way, which measures about 4m across. The hollow way runs northwards for a distance of about 55m, at which point it is crossed by a more substantial earthen bank running northwest to southeast. This is probably a boundary bank. The monument was surveyed in 1914 and partially excavated in 1957, which found no substantive dating evidence. However the excavation indicated that the enclosing ditch was originally continuous, and that the causeway and hollow way were later features. A number of flint implements were found but are not thought to have been associated with the earthwork. The monument is likely to represent the remains of a platform barrow although no burial remains have been uncovered

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

Middle Brow Earthwork, 1.34km SSW of Westmeston Farm survives very well and has been shown by partial excavation to contain important information relating to its construction. Despite the uncertainty concerning its original function it is clear that this earthwork is very unusual in form and for this reason must be considered as of interest. It is likely to contain further archaeological remains and environmental evidence relating to the monument and the landscape in which it was constructed. The presence of several archaeological features, which form separate scheduled monuments, in the vicinity enhance its significance. These include a round barrow to the west; a hillfort, a beacon and dewpond on Ditchling Beacon to the north-west; and a round barrow cemetery and Anglo-Saxon barrow field to the north-east.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
East Sussex HER MES2061. NMR TQ31SW17. PastScape 403065.

Source: Historic England