Monument record MDO555 - Cultivation remains, Buckland Newton

Part of the former medieval open field system in the form of earthwork terraces known as strip lynchets. A block of particularly well-preserved contour strip lynchets can be seen on the south east side of Ridge Hill. Buckland Newton had a two-field system which was finally enclosed in 1734, and these lynchets lie in the area of the West Field.

Centred at ST 68150495 An area of rough pasture with field banks and lynchets of Iron Age/Romano British type visible on air photographs. Though fragmentary, they are fairly well pronounced. At 'A' (ST 68290497) the east end of the Iron Age/Romano-British system is overlayed by widely spaced but pronounced Medieval strip lynchets. These follow the contours and are aligned northeast-southwest. <2> On the south-east side of Ridge Hill, from ST677046 to ST 685052, are extensive remains of contour strip lynchets arranged in four end-on interlocking furlongs 100 yds to 250 yds long. To the south-west the strip lynchets run over 'Celtic' fields. <3> Upon the flat summit of Ridge Hill, the field system has been ploughed out, but the field banks upon the southeast facing slopes below are well-pronounced, being 6.0 to 8.0m wide and up to 0.7m high where they lie across the contours. Lynchets are weak, whilst to the northeast the Medieval Lynchets are much reduced and spread by ploughing and are now difficult to follow. <4>

Record last edited

Dec 23 2021 10:15AM