Summary

Enclosed Iron Age settlement, 530m NNW of Deerswood Farm.

Source: Historic England

Details

This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 4 September 2014. 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 enclosed Iron Age settlement surviving as an earthwork denoted by a bank and ditch, and below-ground archaeological remains. It is situated on a north-west facing slope near the summit of a ridge upon which stands Greenwood Gate Clump in Ashdown Forest on the Weald.

The enclosure is rectilinear in form but with five recognisable sides. It is about 85m in length north-east to south-west by 65m across, within a V-shaped ditch, which is 5m wide and up to 1m deep. The spoil quarried from the ditch during construction has been thrown up to form a bank up to 0.9m high inside the south-east and north-east sides, as well as outside on the north-west side. An entrance to the enclosure, up to 7m wide, is situated on the south-east side. A gap in the south-west side is thought to be the result of later mutilation and disturbance. A third ditch has been recorded in the past near the north-east corner of the enclosure.

The site was partially excavated in 1930, which revealed sherds of La Tene III Iron Age pottery, a piece of soft black ware with a burnt layer, and charcoal. The remnants of Celtic fields have been traced from aerial photographs in the surrounding area.

Further archaeological remains survive within the vicinity of this monument, such as a Roman road, but are not included because they have not been formally assessed.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

The size and form of Iron Age enclosed settlements vary considerably from single farmsteads up to large semi-urban oppida. Farmsteads are generally represented by curvilinear enclosures containing evidence of a small group of circular domestic buildings and associated agricultural structures. The enclosures surrounding Iron Age settlements would have provided protection against cattle rustling and tribal raiding.

The enclosed Iron Age settlement, 530m NNW of Deerswood Farm survives well and has been shown by partial excavation to contain below-ground archaeological remains relating to the former use and history of the site. Only part of the site has been excavated and there is thus potential for further archaeological investigation, which will provide archaeological information and environmental evidence relating to the construction and occupation of the settlement, as well as the landscape in which it was built. The identification of Celtic fields surrounding the settlement, and the proximity to the course of the Roman London to Lewes road, enhances its importance.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
HER MES5185. NMR TQ43SE4. PastScape 407050.,

Source: Historic England