Monument record MDO21543 - West Hill Farm: strip lynchets

Area centred at SY 60669100. Strip lynchets. Three pronounced terraces, extensively rabitted and mutilated by cattle. There is no apparent connection with the celtic field system nearby. <1>

Three N-S terrace following the contours. The lynchets are from 1.0 to 3.0m high and of Md type. Two further undeveloped lynchets are in the W nearer the valley floor. <2>

(SY 60669088 to 60639111) Two Medieval strip lynchets with sloping treads 6 yds and 4 yds wide with risers up to 9 ft high, shown by disturbances to be packed with flints. The maximum length is 230 yds and they run out at both ends. By 1840 (Tithe Map) the area was enclosed as meadow. <3>

These lynchets remain as described by Authority 3. <4>

Earthworks of a Medieval field system with strip lynchets are visible as earthworks on aerial photographs. <5-6>

<1> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, RCHM Mss file (Unpublished document). SDO18524.

<2> Quinnell, N V, Various, Field Investigators Comments NVQ, F1 NVQ 03-JAN-55 (Unpublished document). SDO11903.

<3> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 2, 382 (Monograph). SDO149.

<3.1> Royal Air Force, 17-JAN-1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1934 5095-6 (Aerial Photograph). SDO11867.

<4> Barton, J G, Various, Field Investigators Comments JGB, F2 JGB 10-APR-81 (Unpublished document). SDO11900.

<5> 10-JAN-2007, NMR SY6090/12 (24506/26) (Aerial Photograph). SDO11192.

<6> 02-APR-1969, NMR OS/69053 017-019 (Aerial Photograph). SDO11163.

<7> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, Externally held archive: RCH01/093 RCHME Inventory: Dorset II (South-East) (Unpublished document). SDO17434.

<8> National Record of the Historic Environment, 453687 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Oct 27 2023 12:00PM