Monument record MDO2176 - Lynchets, Poyntington

ST 65551900. Long, fairly parallel and pronounced Medieval type strip lynchets. Fern and grass covered and situated on a fairly steep slope. <2>

There are two groups of strip lynchets at ST 656196. East of the road there are two strip lynchets, about 700 ft long and under grass, with vestiges of 'Celtic' field lynchets higher up the slope. West of the road there are at least 4 strip lynchets up to 500 ft long, also under grass. <3>

Centred at ST 65651983 are the vestigial remains of six lynchets, 0.5 to 1.0m high, extending for up to 400.0m upon a steep south west facing slope under bracken and rough pasture. Below, at the southern end, upon a gentle north west facing pasture slope are ploughed-down traces of two, possible three Medieval strip lynchets, and to the west upon a south facing pasture slope, at ST 65471947, are three strip lynchets, up to 150.0m in length and from 0.5 to 1.2m in height. <4>

At least two, possibly three, lynchets continue north into the field centred at ST 6547 1200. The lynchets are visible as earthworks on 1940s aerial photographs and curret satellite and lidar iamgery <3.1> (RAF 1947; EA 2022; GE 2014).

Google Earth, 2014, Google Earth 2014 (Aerial Photograph). SDO15450.

Environment Agency, 2022, LiDAR Composite Viewer - Digital Terrain Model 1m (Aerial Photograph). SDO21777.

<1> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments England, 1952, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume I (West), 189 (Monograph). SDO97.

'(6) Lynchets, on a W. slope in the S.E. angle of the parish, form a system extending for about 350 yards.'

<2> Rigg, J, Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Field Investigator's Comments JR, F1 JR 21-JUL-55 (Unpublished document). SWX1255.

<3> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, RCHM Ms File (unpublished revision of Dorset 1), No 6 24 9 76 (Unpublished document). SDO17382.

<3.1> Royal Air Force, 11-APR-1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1974 2296-7 (Aerial Photograph). SDO18022.

<4> Phillips, A S, Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Field Investigator's Comments ASP, F2 ASP 24-NOV-77 (Unpublished document). SWX3817.

<5> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, Externally held archive: RCH01/088 RCHME Inventory: Dorset I (West) and Revision (Unpublished document). SDO17367.

<6> Historic England, National Record of the Historic Environment, 199318 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Aug 11 2026 4:38PM