Monument record MDO7985 - Medieval strip fields, Swanage

Medieval strip fields identified south of Swanage. An area of the field system is visible as an earthwork on recent lidar imagery and aerial photographs immediately to the west of Durlston.

Pronounced strip lynchets in this field, but pitted. <1> Medieval strip fields, divided by banks and a few strip lynchets associated with Swanage and Herston, cover about 60 acres. (a) SZ 028771 - SZ 028777. Remains cover some 20 acres on a north facing slope south of Swanage. Complete strips are up to 220 yards long and about 24 yards wide between the crests of stony banks 12ft across and up to 1 1/2ft high. All run out on to other strips at right angles to them. They correspond to divisions of South Field in 1840 (Tithe Map). To the south are traces of similar strips over about 10 acres of the Common Ware, outside the open fields of 1840. Along the south facing slope to the south are two groups of strip lynchets with treads 3 and 7 yards wide and risers up to 3ft high. Strips to the west of these are up to 280 yards long x 7-10 yards wide divided by slight scarps. Two mere-stones remains in the former South Field, one at the north end of a bank between two strips and the other between two furlongs at the edge of a track (see SZ 07 NW 10). In the Common Ware, are five mere-stones. (b). SZ 019769 - SZ019774. South of Hurston Church are some 24 acres of similar fields apparently arranged in four furlongs. Those along the contour have low risers. See plan. <2> The field system is visible on recent lidar imagery and aerial photographs immediately to the west of Durlston. Several other areas of strip fields and ridge and furrow are also located in this area (see linked records). The earthworks consist of three areas of north-south oriented ridges and one area of east-west oriented ridges, visible over an area measuring 805 m by 385 m. <3-6> This site was digitally plotted during the South west Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey (Dorset).

Record last edited

Apr 14 2023 3:33PM