Summary

Iron Age defended settlement in Smay’s Wood.

Source: Historic England

Details

This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 4 November 2015. The record has been generated from an "old county number" (OCN) scheduling record. These are monuments that were not reviewed under the Monuments Protection Programme and are some of our oldest designation records.

The monument includes an Iron Age defended settlement on the side of a prominent ridge forming the watershed between two tributaries to the River Yeo. The defended settlement survives as an oval enclosure measuring 62m long by 42m wide internally defined by a single rampart and partially buried outer ditch. The entrance is a simple gap to the east. There are several terraced platforms within the interior which represent the site of house platforms. Two similar nearby enclosures on the same ridge are the subject of separate schedulings.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

During the Iron Age a variety of different types of settlement were constructed and occupied in south western England. At the top of the settlement hierarchy were hillforts built in prominent locations. In addition to these a group of smaller sites, known as defended settlements, were also constructed. Some of these were located on hilltops, others in less prominent positions. They are generally smaller than the hillforts, sometimes with an enclosed area of less than 1ha. The enclosing defences were of earthen construction. Univallate sites have a single bank and ditch. At some sites these earthen ramparts represent a second phase of defence, the first having been a timber fence or palisade. Where excavated, evidence of stone- or timber-built houses has been found within the enclosures, which, in contrast to the hillfort sites, would have been occupied by small communities, perhaps no more than a single family group. Defended settlements were an important element of the settlement pattern, particularly in south western England, and are integral to any study of the developing use of fortified settlements during this period.

The defended settlement in Smay’s Wood survives well and will contain important archaeological and environmental evidence relating to its construction, use and landscape context. Furthermore, this hillfort forms part of a discrete cluster of similar monuments and together they will provide a valuable insight into life in the Iron Age in this part of Devon.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
PastScape Monument No:- 34561

Source: Historic England