MSO7040 - Kittuck Meads Sheepfold (Monument)

A sheepfold comprising a circular stone faced bankwith a southern entrance. There are beech trees on the bank and it is recorded as having been constructed shortly after 1878 following the loss of many sheep in severe snowstorms.

Circular banked enclosure at Three Combes Foot. [1] "Sheepfold" printed on Ordnance Survey 1:10,000 map. [2,3] A sheep stell (SS 8224 4396) lies on a raised spur of land in Three Combes Foot, at about 360 metres above Ordnance Datum. The circular enclosure comprises a stone faced bank, 18 metres in diameter and 1 metre high, with an entrance in its sheltered south side. The bank is surmounted by beech trees. The stell is recorded as having been constructed shortly after March 1878, when severe snow storms resulted in the loss of 40 sheep at Larkbarrow in a single night [4]. [5] The feature was recorded using differential GPS as part of an archaeological survey of the Larkbarrow area. The survey was carried out by the Exeter office of English Heritage at the request of the Exmoor National Park Authority. A client report was produced as part of the survey work. [6] This record was enhanced as part of the National Record of the Historic Environment to Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record data transfer project. [7] The sheepfold is depicted and labelled on the 2021 MasterMap data. [8] The heritage asset was assessed for inclusion on the Exmoor Local Heritage List in February 2024. It was noted that it's age is moderately distinctive for 19th century Exmoor shepherding. It's design is judged to be distinctive but there are other examples of oval/round enclosures. It was deemed to have high historical association with Knight and named Scottish shepherds association and association with a particular weather event. It's evidential value is not complex but otherwise poorly documented so it's physical remains are significant. It also has moderate social communal value being a landmark. It is deemed to have high collective value being one of a group of sheep folds or stells developed on the Knight Estate in the former Royal Forest. It was decided to add the asset to the Local Heritage List. [9]