Lee Wood
Lee Wood is a site, no longer of woodland, in the north of Devon, in which is a hill on whose summit is an Iron Age enclosure or hill fort. The wood is near to Braunton and Barnstaple.
The enclosure is on a sloping hillside forming a promontory above the Knowle Water at about 400 feet above sea level to the north-east of Braunton and north-west of Barnstaple.[1]
The Lee Wood enclosure was discovered in the late-1950s by the local farmer on whose property it is found.
The woods that once covered this earthwork were cut down in the early-1970s (after the publication of Sellman's book which listed Devon hillforts), and this "hill-slope fort" is now clearly visible in an open field. The site is not publicly accessible as it is on private property.
The fort and the finds
The fort is about 70 paces in diameter, and is located on the western spur of a hill overlooking to the west the valley of Knowle Water. The remains of a track leading to the fort can still be seen. Many Mesolithic and Neolithic flint scrapers, serrated blades, backed blades, burins, knives, and arrowheads (all identified and verified by the University of Exeter) as well as slingshots and other stones showing signs of having been used as tools have been found near the fort.
The enclosure has not yet been excavated.
Location
- Location map: 51°7’11"N, 4°9’53"W
- Streetmap: SS537374
References
- ↑ Sellman, R.R.: 'Aspects of Devon History' (Devon Books, 1985) ISBN 0-86114-756-1. Chapter: "The Iron Age in Devon" (Map of Iron Age hill forts in Devon)