Stile And Flanking Walls 900 Metres South-West Of The Great Sluice

This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 17/07/2015

SS 43 SE 9/53

BRAUNTON, BRAUNTON MARSH, Stile and flanking walls 900 metres south-west of the Great Sluice

(Formerly listed as Stile and flanking walls 90 metres south-west of the Great Sluice)

II

Stile and flanking walls. Circa 1815. Shale rubble walls with vertical stone capping, sloping down on either side of dyke. Opening at top with large slate on edge to form stile between stone rubble piers, the west pier is damaged at top. Slate step below stile. The flanking walls fenced sections of the dyke and allowed the sections to be grazed separately. Braunton Marsh was probably reclaimed in the Middle Ages from tidal waters of the River Taw. But from 1811-15 the marsh was more extensively drained on the authorization by Act of Parliament (1811) as a result of the endeavours of the Lords of the Manors of Braunton Garges, Braunton Abbotts, Braunton Arundel and Saunton and others who had grazing rights on the marshes. They sought to enclose Braunton Marsh which was regularly flooded by tidal water. 949 acres were reclaimed. John Pascoe was the surveyor and James Green (County Surveyor) the engineer. The adjacent Horsey Island to the south-east was reclaimed between 1852-1857. Historically these late enclosures are particularly interesting in Braunton where the Great Field immediately north of the Marsh is one of only 3 open field systems to survive in England. Although today (1984) there are only 5 farmers on the Great Field, their holdings are still widely dispersed over the field as they were in the Middle Ages when there were about 100 farmers.

Reference: A H Slee, Trans. Devonshire Assoc (1969) Vol100, pp.101-110. W G Hoskins and H P R Finberg, Devonshire Studies, pp.265-271 and p.332.

Listing NGR: SS4716833467