NHER 64587 (Monument record) - Potentially prehistoric curvilinear features and post-medieval field boundaries

November 2015. Desk-based Assessment.
Assessment of large proposed development area.
See report (S1) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 5 May 2023.

August 2017-March 2018. Geophysical Survey.
Magnetometer survey of possible development area.
This survey identified a cluster of three faint positive curvilinear anomalies at the eastern end of this field (all within 50m of TM 2013 9243). These were between 11m and 18m in diameter and all appeared to be penannular, with possible openings to the west or south-west. It is suggested that these may represent prehistoric enclosures or ring-ditches associated with Bronze Age round barrow monuments.
A number of fairly extensive linear anomalies are likely to represent infilled ditches associated with former field boundaries, the majority of which clearly correspond with boundaries depicted on the Stratton St Mary tithe map (S2). An east-to-west aligned anomaly that doesn’t appear on the available 19th-century or later maps clearly represent a former subdivision of one of these post-medieval fields. Only a short, north-east to south-west linear anomaly identified close to the possible enclosures potentially represents a significantly earlier feature.
Groups of parallel, regularly-spaced weakly positive linear anomalies almost certainly represent field drains of post-medieval or later date.
No discrete anomalies of obvious archaeological significance were identified. A number of discrete magnetic spike are likely to have been caused by ferrous objects in the topsoil – most likely modern debris.
See report (S3) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 23 May 2021.