Monument record MDO7304 - Prehistoric field system with medieval strip lynchets, Church Knowle

Earthwork remains of an Iron Age or Romano British field system with later medieval strip lynchets to the east of Smedmore Hill. The features which run up the sides of a narrow valley are visible as earthworks on aerial photographs.

Centred SY 930800. Field systems. Pronounced lynchets are visible in the areas SY 934796, SY 936802, SY 920798, SY 924798 and SY 926794. <1> SY 925798-936795. Traces of 'Celtic' fields in the vicinity of Smedmore Hill extend over some 80 acres in an area rich in Iron Age and Romano-British remains. An almost certain relationship is now visible around the settlemnt (SY 97 NW 28). Strip lynchets and later narrow rig have contributed largely to the destruction of the fields. Medieval strip fields occur as follows: (A) Centred SY 935796. Strip lynchets mostly of contour type run into the remains of Celtic fields and have been covered by later narrow rig. <2> Three blocks of field strips occur on the steep SW slopes of Smedmore Hill, separated by blocks of unused land 50m to 150m wide. Two blocks of strips cover 5 ha., and the easternmost 1.5 ha., centred respectively at SY 92227979, SY 92447942 and SY 92747935. The strips are about 19m wide and mostly about 200m long. While from a distance they appear to be lynchetted each is divided by a ditch 8m wide and 0.4m to 0.8m deep rather like an exceptionally broad rig. They are not quite aligned to the hillslope and consequently a slightly higher build up of soil occurs on the western side of each strip producing the lynchet effect. At the SW corner of the centre block was formerly a large stone, considered to be a possible boundary marker (SY 97 NW 33). (Areas marked SY 98 SW 24 'E.' 'F.' 'G.'on Record 6"). <3> Earthwork remains of an Iron Age or Romano British field system with later medieval strip lynchets to the east of Smedmore Hill. The features which run up the sides of a narrow valley are visible as earthworks on aerial photographs <4-6>. The features were digitally plotted during the Wild Purbeck Mapping Project.

Record last edited

Sep 5 2023 4:17PM