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| Monument Name |
Stock's Farm - The Crump |
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| SMR Number |
122 |
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| Summary |
Ring motte. |
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| Media |
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| Associated Media |
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| Description |
Ring motte. Described first as "early medieval defensive earthwork", 54.5m overall in diameter, consisting of a bank and ditch, the eastern part of the ditch part-filled in and consequently dry. Western half still water-filled. <2> <9> <10> Later described as Norman ring work. Excavated by owner. Finds- typical 12th century assemblage of cooking pots, figure of eight bronze stirrup, wavy-edged horseshoes and fiddle key nails. Site is in garden of Stocks Farm about half a mile south of Berden. Bank and outer ditch encloses a saucer-shaped area, measuring c53m overall in diameter. The ditch is now 1.5m deep, waterfilled on the west. The east arm is dry but originally was wet. The bank is 2.9m above the base of the ditch. Within, from the base of the `saucer' to the top of the bank, measures c1m. The only break in the bank is in the south side but there is no contemporary causeway across the ditch. A note on the back of a donated AP, dated August 1937, states: "Francis Colmer, `Corndale', Hughenden Road, High Wycombe, Bucks. The interior has been used as a vegetable garden and is now grass. The moat has a fair quantity of water on one side of the circle and is dry on the other. The height of the ramp from the bottom of the fosse is from 10 to 12ft. The inner surface is considerably higher than the surrounding field level. Diameter of interior, exclusive of the inner ramp(?) is about 24 feet". Note on SMR sheet states that the owner excavated a pit on top of the mound and he has lots of finds in his kitchen. The site is isolated from centres of population (past or present). Ringworks and mottes tend to be built in an existing settlement or else form the nucleus of one. The bank and ditch are massive enough for defence, the bank being the more important feature. In 4 similar sites in East Anglia, 12th-13th century pottery has been found but not enabling the works to be precisely dated. Neither the excavator of this site nor the finds have been located. The earthwork is not definitely classifiable. J D Hedges prefers the term ring motte for this and similar sites in Essex. S E West (Suffolk County Archaeologist) considers the Suffolk examples could be Danish. <1> <3> - <6> <8> Letter in record sheds no light on excavations but gives information on ownership in 1938. <7> Pottery picked up suggests occupation to early 13th century at least. Finds kept at Stocks Farm. Owner excavated a small trench in the interior in the 1950's. He found a "clay floor and a ?packed post hole" c3ft down. 12 (12th century?) cooking pots, an iron spear head, wavy edged horseshoes and 2-3 fragments of bronze strip were found. <14> <15> Plan and section by OS 1975 in SMR and on OS plan card (plan only). <11> <12> <13> Other ref: <16>
Site Assessment = In good condition. A small (Home Guard?) pit in the middle. <14> |
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| Monument Type(s) |
RINGWORK (Dated 1066AD to 1539AD)
MOAT (Dated 1066AD to 1539AD)
FLOOR (Dated 1066AD to 1539AD)
POST HOLE (Dated 1066AD to 1539AD)
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| Monument Class(es) |
CLAY
EARTHWORK
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Period
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1066AD to 1539AD Medieval
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| Status |
Scheduled Monument |
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| Administration Area |
BERDEN, UTTLESFORD, ESSEX |
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National Grid Reference
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Square: TL42NE
Ref: 470289 |
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| Finds |
IRON HORSESHOE (Dated 1066AD To 1539AD)
IRON NAIL (Dated 1066AD To 1539AD)
IRON SPEAR (Dated 1066AD To 1539AD)
BRONZE STIRRUP (Dated 1066AD To 1539AD)
BRONZE STRAP (Dated 1066AD To 1539AD)
POTTERY VESSEL (Dated 1066AD To 1539AD)
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| Events |
FULL SURVEY by OS,
PART EXCAV by Stewart, Dr A S,
FULL SURVEY by OS, 1975
PART SURVEY by Legg, T,
Field visit to 122 by Paterson, H, FMW on NOV-1979
Field visit to 122 by Chant, K, FMW on DEC-1982
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Sources
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Artifact : ARTEFACT Stocks Farm (unknown)
Desc Text : Trans Essex Archaeol Soc (Trans Essex Archaeological Soc) Vol 4
Desc Text : Essex (unknown) p289 Dated : 1903
Desc Text : An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in Essex, Vol 1 (RCHME) p23 Dated : 1916
Desc Text : OSCARD - TL42NE06 (Ordnance Survey) TL42NE06 Dated : 1950
Desc Text : TL42NE06 (unknown) Dated : 1950
Mention : TL42NE06 (unknown) Dated : 1950
Desc Text : The Rookery and ringwork at Berden, Essex (Knocker, Group Captain) New Series, Vol 25, Part 2, p257 Dated : 1958
Desc Text : SMR Form (unknown) Dated : 1960s to
Desc Text : Ringworks of England and Wales (Cathcart King, DJ and Alcock, L) p103, 113 Dated : 1966
Desc Text : Norman Castles in Britain (Renn, D) p107 Dated : 1968
Desc Text : SMR (Ordnance Survey) Dated : 1975
Mention : SMR (Ordnance Survey) Dated : 1975
Mention : TL42NE06 (unknown) Dated : 1975
CORRESPONDENCE : SMR (Colmer, JA) Dated : 1976
Scheduling record : DOE Scheduled Ancient Monuments (HBMC) Part 3 Dated : 1983
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