A Pre-Norman Field-System at Hen Domen,Montgomery

SURVEY of a field, immediately north of the early Norman motte-and-bailey castle of Hen Domen, Montgomery, revealed ridge-and-furrow, averaging 4 m. in width, cut by the outer ditch of the bailey. Excavation demonstrated that the ridge-and-furrow extended under the inner rampart of the bailey. Pollen analysis of the buried soil showed the former presence of cereals and the weeds of cultivation. A Carbon-14 date from charcoal in the buried soil reinforced the view that this field-system was in use before the Norman conquest.