NDAS Hartland XArch Project

Newsletter No 1	Hartland Swannery	Monoliths or Rubbing Posts?
Newsletter No 2	Hedge Survey	So Where is the Castle?
Newsletter No 3	Hartland Abbey Coach Drive	Exhibition 12th September 2007
Water Mills

Newsletter No 2 August 2007

As those of you who receive the Email notices will know there was no further survey work during July as Exeter are fully committed at Stokenham. The date of 1st August had been set for the next session at Hartland, as per usual 10am on site weather permitting! This allowed a further area on the north of the site to be covered.

The data from the last set of scans has now been added to the plot and has certainly extended the interest in the site. In addition to a continuance of the scanning across the fuller area it has now been decided to undertake two further aspects of investigation. On day one we did attempt a mapping survey with the Total Station but this was not as successful as could have been. It is now going to be redone using the full GIS system by Exeter. This will give us the fuller detail on contours and allow the data to be more fully integrated at a later stage.

To date three areas have been commenced each being linked to the greater project area (Fig 1). The principal area is that surrounding and on the east of the ruin on the Warren.

Fig.1; Study area showing scans in approximate positions

Fig. 2; Unadjusted scan data

Fig. 3; Ongoing Interpretation (July 2007)

The raw data scans have to be adjusted to take out as many discrepancies as possible and re-align the areas as appropriate. This does give a clearer image and helps reveal greater detail. Penny, David & Sean have started this process and it will be an ongoing componant as the scan area increases. Where there are features that need clarification then small areas will be covered with the resistivity machine which should help with a better interpretation. The extended area has now enabled further interpretations of the site (refer to newsletter No 1 for previous sequence).

The following table is a very basic view of the features present in Fig 2,3.

1 & 3 Plus any similar; Pit Barrow	8 & 9 Bank and Ditch Systems
2 Pond Barrow	10 Irregular Bronze Age Field Systems
4 Possible Trackway	11 Embanked Long Barrow
5 Linear Feature Leading to 3?	12 Possible Pit Burials
6 Building?	13 Roman Military? or more BA Fields
7 Warren? plus other buildings	14 Double Ditched Enclosure or more BA Fields

Some aspects need further work for instance on No 11 it will be beneifcial to gather further detail on the make-up of the item to establish if there is indeed a continuous stone edge to the enclosure. With the two ditch systems Nos 8,9 both are substantial and appear to continue across the site. The lower (south) section have stone on opposite faces so are in effect a parallel mirrored pair. System No 9 would appear to be in two phases having been re-aligned at some stage possibly to create a stock pound. The advance notice of the Roman element rest with its shape and association with similar features in other sites, it is to early to be definate on this.
When the staggers were taken out of the data most features aligned as expected however the line in the upper right corner of the scan still retains its data as individual spots and this has to be explained possibly as a series of burials along a now lost feature?

You will note from the short index at the head of the page that I have added some pages on related aspects of the site in particular:
A start has been made on the hedge/bank survey on the Stoke Barton land to reveal if there is any sequencing of the present enclosures. In particular the extensive systems against the cliff wastes and along the southern road boundaries are of interest. The earth and stone bank that surrounds an area known as The Swannery and its associated hedges are similarly of interest as would a core sample/contour study to establish if indeed the area of the Swannery was at anytime under water?

As always these interpretations are provisional and will change as more of the features of the greater study area are disclosed.

Our thanks are expressed to Sir Hugh Stucley and Colin Davey for permission to access the land for non-invasive recording.

Participating parties: Hartland Society; Hartland Study Group; North Devon Archaeology Society; and Exeter University.