Monument record MDO5081 - Prehistoric field system, Tarrant Launceston

An extensive later prehistoric field system is visible as cropmarks and earthworks on aerial photographs and on Environment Agency lidar imagery. The field system is recorded under NRHE Hob UID 1480998 and forms part of the wider area of prehistoric field systems recorded under NRHE 209332. The features also includes further field boundaries and/or enclosures recorded under NRHE Hob UIDs 1478926 and 1518418. The field system may underlie later features associated with settlement (MDO5105) and trackways (MDO44558 and MDO44559) of potentially Iron Age to Roman date. The features were digitally plotted during the Dorset Middle Stour AIM project.

A Later Prehistoric and / or Roman field system, of the form often referred to as a "Celtic" field system, and associated trackways are visible as soilmarks on aerial photographs. The site is centred at ST 9379 0857 and comprises assorted linear banks and ditches that appear to form a pattern of conjoined but mostly fragmentary rectangular enclosures, which are probably fields, plus ditch defined trackways along and between some of the fields. The field system extends over an area that measures 1030m long by a maximum of 890m wide and is orientated south-west / north-east. The banks and ditches appear to define long rectangular fields which are orientated WNW / ESE and measure between 50m and 80m wide and circa 300m long. Trackways are suggested by sinuous but parallel ditches that extend between ST 9346 0878 and ST 9400 0910; ST 9401 0871 and ST 9413 0888, and ST 9361 0882 and ST 9390 0871. The fields share the WNW / ESE orientation of similar systems identified in the area which may once have joined together into a single field system (see ST 90 NW 156 / UID: 1480979). <2> An extensive later prehistoric field system is visible as cropmarks and earthworks on aerial photographs and on Environment Agency lidar imagery <3-4>. The features comprises linear and curvilinear banks and ditches creating field boundaries, lynchets and trackways within a series of fragmentary sub-rectilinear enclosures. The field system extends over an area over 1.8km long and up to 1.6km wide. It is recorded under NRHE Hob UID 1480998 and forms part of the wider area of prehistoric field systems recorded under NRHE 209332. The features also includes further field boundaries and/or enclosures recorded under NRHE Hob UIDs 1478926 and 1518418.The field system may underlie later features associated with settlement (MDO5105) and trackways (MDO44558 and MDO44559) of potentially Iron Age to Roman date. The features were digitally plotted during the Dorset Middle Stour AIM project.

Record last edited

Jan 26 2023 11:07AM