Monument record MDO2075 - Prehistoric field system on Ridge Hill, Portesham

Earthworks of an Iron Age/Romano British-type field system. Noted from ground observations and visible as earthworks and cropmarks on aerial photographs

Area centred SY 648864. An Iron Age/Romano British-type field system plotted partly from air photographs and partly from ground observation. At SY 64438653 a pronounced north-south lynchet runs parallel to the contours and at SY 64758655 field banks and lynchets averaging 1.0m high and forming rectilinear enclosures are visible. A field bank crosses a weak contour at SY 65158647 where a contour-following lynchet is also visible; a lynchet, up to 4.5m high with corner angle can also be seen at SY 64948639. <1> Broken remains of 'Celtic' fields cover 20 acres immediately south of the Ridgeway, around SY 647865. The field bank and lynchets at SY 65158647 and SY 64948639 lie in permanent pasture and are as described by Authority 1,but the greater part of the field system in this area was under standing crops at the time of field visit. It is likely however that any remains will have been considerably reduced by ploughing. <2> Also visible as earthworks and cropmarks on aerial photographs <4-6>. Remains comprise of banks and ditches, some interconnected via trackways. These features were digitally plotted during the South Dorset Ridgeway Mapping Project.

Record last edited

Oct 27 2023 9:05AM