Stone and earth bank on Downs Pasture

Description

Stone and earth bank, Downs Pasture MYD55363 (c) YDNPA, 2023

The remains of a 300 metre long stone and earth bank traverse the hillside on Downs Pasture, running in a north-west/south-east direction. Although the date of its construction is unknown and it may be of later construction, the way it is built and its place in the landscape suggest a prehistoric origin. The northern end starts near a prominent ridge of limestone known as Green Hill. This is one of the highest parts of the moor in this area and carries distinctive limestone vegetation. The remains of the bank form a complex pattern at this end, traversing a sink hole and altering direction. It then heads off in a south-easterly direction, though it is difficult to trace for 50 metres. After the gap it can be followed quite easily, particularly where heather burning has recently taken place. Part of the southern end may have been robbed out to provide some of the stone for a nineteenth century sheepfold and bield wall.

The bank is of shallow construction, though its base is probably hidden deep in the peaty soil which submerges many of the stones. It averages 1m wide and about half a metre high. Occasionally it displays signs of double orthostatic construction, with facing stones on either side. Another feature is the way in which natural boulders and erratics are incorporated into its length. At one point the bank arrives on the edge of a large sinkhole in the middle of the moor. It picks up again on the opposite side and continues on its way for another 100 metres in the same south-easterly direction before finally petering out. The purpose of this bank is unknown, but it may have been a boundary to define grazing areas or zones of different activities for local communities during the Iron Age or earlier.

Stone and earth bank, Downs Pasture MYD55363 (c) YDNPA, 2023