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A Walk in Winter - (Newsletter No 6 - 2000)
On 27th November, 1999 about a dozen members met at
Blaekmoor Gate for the first NDAS winter walk. It was a fine November
morning with the kind of low winter light that shows up landscape features
well. The walk in fact consisted of several explorations on foot with
short ear rides in between. First we made for the deserted medieval settlement
at Higher Holwell above Parracombe. The site has been recorded by the
Royal Commission and, with the kind permission of the landowner, we were
able to walk across the quite pronounced earthworks of house-platforms
and a hollow-way. The site is
particularly interesting for its relationship to Holweli Castle and the
signs of medieval cultivation in the immediate area.
Our second destination was the hilltop enclosure to the north of Parracombe
known as Beacon Castle. Surrounded by a rather slight, though well preserved
bank, the enclosure commands a view towards the sea at Heddons Mouth and
overlooks, on the opposite side of the Heddon Valley, the very well preserved
hillslope enclosure of Voley Castle. These two enclosures are similar
in size, but probably not to be bracketed together. As with all such sites
in the greater Exmoor area, there is currently no dating
evidence available, so we have no way of knowing whether they were contemporary.
While Voley is a "classic" hillslope enclosure, often tentatively
identified as an Iron Age to early medieval farmstead and comparable to
the "rounds" of Cornwall, Beacon Castle is one of a group of
univallate enclosures placed on hilltops or spurs, the classic hillfort
position, but too slight and unelaborated tabe called a hillfort. It does
have the distinction however, of having the medieval parish boundary running
through the middle of it.
For the afternoon we went on to Countisbury, where a pub lunch was followed
by a walk across the fields to Homer's Neck. Approached from the north
in this way on a November afternoon, the spur* with its- defensive bank
and earthworks, stands as if detached against a backdrop of bare trees
and misty valleyside. As you descend the field, Homer's Neck appears to
lift above the horizon, and, whatever the site'sdate or purpose, it is
for me the most evocative archaeological monument that we possess in North
Devon.
Arriving at the earthworks* we stood around and speculated, as one is
always led to do here. We looked across to the massive bank and ditch
on Wind Hill and down to Myrtleberry North (Myrtleberry South is only
just visible from here) and tried not to be tempted to link together all
the sites in some satisfying fiction. The close proximity of this group
of sites in a well defined area gives the appearance of some sort of unity*
but there is nothing at all to prove or disprove it and only future research
will point in one direction or the other.
As an exercise in observing and interpreting landscape features, the day's
walk very satisfactorily achieved its purpose. Members of the Society
got together in an informal way to look at portions of our own area in
favourable conditions of light and vegetation, something that can best
be achieved in late autumn and early spring. This being the case, we intend
to take another walk in early April- the destination and exact date will
be announced in the next newsletter. It will definitely take place on
a Sunday, which we hope will enable more members to take part.
Two NDAS Summer Walks -Terry Green (Newsletter No 12 2006)
During the summer NDAS members enjoyed two archaeological walks (both of which were announced in the Spring 2006 newsletter.) The first, a walk round Clovelly Dykes took place on 18th June and the second, an archaeological walk round Parracombe, took place on 9th September.
The visit to Clovelly Dykes had been arranged by Derry Bryant and was led by Cressida Wootton from the Devon County Archaeological Service (or, as it is now to be known, the Historic Environment Service or HES). Fifteen members of NDAS and the Hartland Historical Society turned up in the yard of East Dyke Farm on a rather grey and damp afternoon, and were led off by a goosepimpled Cressida who had left Exeter in high summer weather.
In the Spring newsletter we wrote about the archaeology of Clovelly Dykes, but it is not until you visit that you realise the scale of the work. This is a truly massive earthwork built to impress. The inner enclosures are set apart by huge banks and ditches dug from basically level ground without the benefit of natural topography to lessen the work. The photograph of the group standing in the ditch gives some idea, but the true ditch bottom is still a long way below our feet.
The earthworks in the outer enclosure are less impressive, amounting to little more than Devon hedge-banks, and there exists the possibility that these in fact originate as the baulks between medieval cultivation strips. On the other hand, existing earth banks may have been exploited by medieval cultivators. By the time the group arrived in the central enclosure, the weather had brightened up and it was pleasant to sit down and speculate. Ideas were thrown around, some sound, some less so. But what became clear as we looked thoughtfully about us was that there are platforms in the central enclosure which would repay geophysical investigation. One of these days perhaps?
The September walk at Parracombe was less well attended, but the weather
was perfect and we had a good day. Starting at Higher Bodley, we visited
Beacon Castle and descended past Killington to Bumsley Mill. On the now
apparently featureless hillside below the ‘castle’ we became
aware of low earthworks and could trace small enclosures of what appears
to be a relict fieldsystem.
Descending through woodland to Bumsley Mill we came across a different kind of archaeology: initials and emblems carved into the bark of beech trees by servicemen camped nearby during World War 2, the graffiti now grown out, but a visible memorial nevertheless. From Bumsley we walked up hill and across fields to Bodley, where we ate our sandwiches in Julia Holtom’s garden. Next we visited Holwell Castle, wondering yet again why this Norman motte and bailey is there at all. Finally we made our way over the defunct railway line to the old church of St Petrock, where we enjoyed the un-Victorianised charm of the interior and paused for a group photo. The original intention had been to go on to Holworthy, but we had spent too long probing and discussing as we went, so time was against any continuation. From the church we returned to the cars by a deep and shady track past Heddon Hall, the former parsonage and original ‘priest–town’ or in its Parracome version ‘Prison’ (as in Prisonford – there was never a prison here!)
With a few fresh ideas on Parracombe’s archaeology buzzing around, we ended the day in bright sunshine as it had begun.
Copyright © 2007 North Devon Archaeological Society