Monument record MDO30936 - Prehistoric field system, Encombe House, Corfe Castle

Fragments of a field system of probable Iron Age or Romano British origin are visible as earthworks on aerial photographs and lidar on the summit and slopes of the spur at Encombe Obelisk within the grounds of Encombe House.

(Centred SY 946790) Field system visible on air photographs. <1> Strong lynchets visible here. <2> SY 942790-948790. Very disturbed 'Celtic' fields cover some 40 acres on the summit and gentle north slopes of a spur at Encombe Obelisk. On the south the remains are bounded by a sharp edge above a steep natural slope on which there are no fields; to the north their limit is not clear. The earliest surface finds are Iron Age 'A', but a Romano-British building (SY 98 SW 7) has been discovered amongst the fields at the south-west. Fields near it are 20 to 25 yards wide and probably represent continued cultivation. <3> The field system has been virtually ploughed out save for 1.5 ha. centred at SY 94207916 where, under temporary pasture, there are smoothed lynchets 0.5m to 1.3m high. <4> Fragments of a field system of probable Iron Age or Romano British origin are visible as earthworks on aerial photographs and lidar on the summit and slopes of the spur at Encombe Obelisk within the grounds of Encombe House <5-8>. The features are much levelled by ploughing and digitally plotted during the Wild Purbeck Mapping Project.

Record last edited

Oct 11 2023 1:57PM