Summary

The earthwork and buried remains of a medieval settlement at Eastrop.

Source: Historic England

Details

PRINCIPAL ELEMENTS
The monument is situated in the Upper Thames valley, on a clay plain which rises gradually to the west towards Highworth and includes the earthworks and buried archaeological remains of the medieval settlement and associated cultivation remains. The four scheduled areas are located to either side of Farringdon Road, to the west and south-west of Eastrop Farm.

DESCRIPTION
The monument includes the earthwork and buried archaeological remains of a medieval settlement, comprising tofts, crofts, enclosures and an area of ridge and furrow. The extensive settlement remains are linear in plan, and are situated to either side of Farringdon Road (B4019) which appears to have formed the main street of the village. The earthworks of at least four lanes or hollow ways can be identified running at right angles to the main street and, in addition, a back lane runs parallel to the main street on its south side. Between the main street and the back lane are a number of small closes or crofts, some with identifiable house sites (tofts) within them. Many of the medieval agricultural fields representing the economy of the village have been destroyed or degraded by cultivation, particularly to the north side, but to the south-west and south-east the layout is legible either on the ground or from aerial photographs. The best preserved ridge and furrow can be seen at the extreme south-east end of the settlement and is included in the scheduling.

EXCLUSIONS
All telegraph poles, fence posts, water troughs and stone boundary walls are excluded from the scheduling although the ground beneath these features is included.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

The medieval settlement at Eastrop, and an area of associated ridge and furrow cultivation, are scheduled for the following principal reasons:

* Survival: as a well-preserved medieval village with a diverse range of components surviving as earthworks and buried remains;
* Potential: for the stratified archaeological deposits which will increase our understanding of the character and occupation of the settlement. Buried artefacts will also have the potential to increase our knowledge and understanding of the site’s social and economic functioning within the wider medieval landscape;
* Group value: the ridge and furrow to the south represents an essential component of the settlement’s agrarian economy and their functional inter-relationship is therefore clear.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Websites
Highworth Historical Society, accessed 17 April 2015 from http://highworthhistoricalsociety.co.uk/highworth-archives.html?showall=&start=3
Other
The Archaeology of Wiltshire’s Towns. An Extensive Urban Survey, Highworth. Wiltshire County Archaeology Service, 2004
Wiltshire Historic Environment Record, SU29SW453 - MWI20341, Shrunken Medieval village earthworks

Source: Historic England