Details

The monument includes the remains of a medieval settlement located 240m south
of Lower Woodshaw Farm on low lying clay pasture land to the south east of
Wootton Bassett. A series of house platforms of irregular shape are grouped
around the north and west sides of a down cut feature interpreted as a pond.
The largest platform adjacent to the pond is 1.5m high and is surrounded by a
shallow ditch 0.1m deep. The monument is abutted by ridge and furrow, which
rises to a low height only and has not therefore been included in the
scheduling. Earthworks to the north and west represent field boundaries and
drainage features of uncertain date and are likewise not included in the
scheduling.

MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.
It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features,
considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

Medieval rural settlements in England were marked by great regional diversity
in form, size and type, and the protection of their archaeological remains
needs to take these differences into account. To do this, England has been
divided into three broad Provinces on the basis of each area's distinctive
mixture of nucleated and dispersed settlements. These can be further divided
into sub-Provinces and local regions, possessing characteristics which have
gradually evolved during the last 1500 years or more.
The Upper Avon and Thames local region has mixed characteristics, with
elements of both `village' and `woodland' landscapes. It is distinguished by
substantial densities of villages and hamlets associated with moderate numbers
of scattered farmsteads, giving a rather dense overall pattern, but the region
still carried woodland in 1086, and the Braden and Chippenham Forests reflect
this.

The medieval rural settlement 240m south of Lower Woodshaw Farm is well
preserved and is good example of its class within this sub-Province. It will
contain archaeological remains and environmental evidence relating to the
monument and the landscape in which it was constructed.

Source: Historic England