Settlement with pits, linear ditches and ditched enclosures in the parish of Long Compton

Description of this historic site

Settlement with pits, linear ditches and ditched enclosures are apparent on aerial photographs near South Hill Farm near Long Compton.

Notes about this historic site

1 Crop marks seen on aerial photographs indicate a small multiphase settlement consisting of three rectilinear enclosures, numerous pits and a curvilinear boundary ditch, which partially defines the site. The largest trapezium shaped enclosure is approximately 64 meters long and 42m wide, narrowing to 28m wide at its western end. It appears not to have any entrance. The curvilinear ditch that arcs around the northern and western side of the site is interrupted by this enclosure. To the east of the single enclosure a length of bank can be seen on the northeastern side of the curvilinear ditch. The two small rectilinear enclosures overlap giving the appearance of being created in succession. Both enclosures has internal features in the form of pits with diameters less than 10m and what may be a partition in the larger of the two. They both have well defined entrances.
The pits appear be disposed in nine loosely defined groups with a small number of outliers. They vary in size from approximately1m diameter to around 8m. One group on the northern side of the double enclosures appears to form an alignment. Although the pits drawn are fairly convincing as archaeology the geology in this area can also produce circular crop marks that look very similar.
A narrow linear ditch can be seen aligned in an east west direction to the north of the twin enclosures. Its relationship with the other features is uncertain.
2 Enclosures show up on Google Earth satellite imagery layer, c.2009.

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