JANUARY 7 2024 – TWO NEW YEAR ARCHAEOLOGICAL DISCOVERIES IN AN ANCIENT PARISH FIELD NEAR ST MARGARET’S 13TH CENTURY CHURCH WITHIN THE HISTORIC PARISH OF IFIELD

Richard Symonds
Ancient Parish Field [in blue] where a Bloomery and [possible] Bell Barrow have been discovered – near St Margaret’s 13th century church, the Moated Ifield Court Scheduled Monument, the Druids Copse. and Ifield Brook Parish Meadows

St Margaret’s Church and Parish Fields – Ifield

 

Last Saturday, walkers stumbled across  two findings of major archaeological interest within the muddy ancient Parish Fields near St Margaret’s 13th century church in the historic village of Ifield.

One of the walkers, Richard Symonds of the Ifield Society, said:

”We are very excited by these two discoveries in a parish field – a possible Barrow and Bloomery dating back to the Late Bronze Age and Iron Age. We already know there was a large ancient settlement in this area of the parish where Ifield Brook meets the River Mole. Now we are speculating there could be a Roman villa estate somewhere nearby. If such speculations prove to be correct, this would confirm Ifield has a history dating back at least 3,500 years”.

 

JANUARY 8 2024 – FROM THE ARCHIVES [MAY 9 2022] – DISCOVERY OF A BRONZE AGE BELL BARROW NEAR ‘DRUID’S COPSE’ IN ANCIENT IFIELD – DATING BACK CIRCA 3,500 YEARS AGO ?

 

Lidar image of a possible 3,500-year-old Bell Barrow – where Ifield Brook [running northwards] meets the River Mole [running eastwards] in the ancient Parish Fields near St Margaret’s 13th church.

 

Boundary of the ancient Parish of Ifield [with St Margaret’s church in the geographical centre].