Monument record MDO2154 - Poxwell, medieval strip lynchets

Area centred at SY 736839. Strip Lynchets. (1)

A few regularly spaced strip lynchets, the maximum height of any lynchet being approximately 2.0m. Of Md type; all are in pasture land. (2)

Strip lynchets, centred SY 736840, part of the open field system of Poxwell, were examined whilst being levelled in 1967, together with similar lynchets to the east (SY 78 SW 32). Four prominent risers on the north side of the valley measured about 270 yards long by 5 feet high. Beneath them were remains of "Celtic" fields which may have been part of a system extending west into Osmington and east beyond Poxwell village. A cut by mechanical digger (at SY 73628399) revealed the site of a Romano-British settlement which seems to have been covered by the destruction of the Celtic field lynchets prior to strip cultivation. A concentrated mass of occupation debris was found, with scraps of iron, a number of stone slabs, and sherds mainly of the late 3rd or 4th century, including New Forest ware. (3-4)

Excavations in 1968 by J S Wacher revealed a small work-shop of the late third century at the corner of a 'Celtic' field on chalk downland 650 ft (200m) W of Poxwell Church (SY 736840). A rough shelter with foundations of dry stone walling shielded a small circular oven of unknown use, a large furnace and a corn drying oven containing large amounts of charred grain. Kimmeridge shale bracelets were also manufactured. The strip lynchets, centred at SY 736839 covering an area of 0.5ha, are considerably ploughed down.

At the Romano-British settlement site (SY 73638398) the features visible include a 5.5m square depression bounded by a bank 0.5m high, a pit 5.0m in diameter and 1.0m, deep, a circular oven (stone lined) and a linear bank 3.0m wide and 0.6m high. The site is under grass, in the middle of an arable field. Surveyed at 1:2500 on MSD. (6)

(Centred SY 737833) Strip Lynchet (NR). (7)

Full excavation report. The site find and record are in Dorset County Museum. (8)

A system of medieval strip lynchets, visible as earthworks on aerial photographs {1-2} to the south-west of Poxwell Manor. The site was digitally plotted during the South Dorset Ridgeway Mapping Project.

National Record of the Historic Environment, 454394 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

<1> 13-MAR-1971, NMR SY 7384/2-3 (565/4828-9) (Aerial Photograph). SDO11770.

<2> Royal Air Force, 04-NOV-1946, RAF/CPE/UK/1821 4445-6 (Aerial Photograph). SDO11771.

<3> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1968, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1967, 135-139 (Serial). SDO67.

<4> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 2, 263 (Monograph). SDO149.

‘(10) STRIP LYNCHETS: fragmentary remains at eight places, cover 41 acres. Traces of other strips just visible on air photographs, as well as characteristic angular indents in field banks and details on the Tithe Map of 1839, add to the picture of former open-field arrangements. These open fields seem to have covered virtually the whole parish E. of the curving boundary line linking Poxwell Grove (739848) to the angle in the parish boundary S.E. of Old Down Barn (734840). … The remains are of contour type W. of the village (around 741847, 739842, 735839, 739837 ('Voscombe Mead' in 1839)) … Treads are up to 300 yds. long and 20 yds. wide and risers up to 12 ft. high. (R.A.F. V.A.P. CPE/UK 1821:4443–5, 6435–7.) Evidence, found in 1967, shows Romano-British settlement on 'Celtic' fields under strip lynchets at 736840 (Dorset Procs. to come).’

<5> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1987, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1986, 63-80 (Serial). SDO86.

Record last edited

Aug 24 2023 2:02PM