Monument record MDO2625 - Prehistoric field system, The Crofts Down, Sydling St Nicholas

Linear banked earthworks and lynchets associated with a prehistoric settlement and field system of probable Iron Age/Romano-British date are visible on aerial photographs and current Lidar imagery on The Crofts Down, Sydling St Nicholas. The features were digitally plotted during the Dorset Upper Frome AIM project.

Earthworks on Crofts Down at the SW end of the ridge between the 600 ft and 700 ft contours consist of a series of irregular banks and scarps forming cultivations of the 'Celtic' type, with two well-defined hollow-ways running to the SW and south. <2>

Celtic field system, centred ST 635018. On the top and to the north of Ellston Hill modern cultivation has reduced the size of the field banks and lynchets, but on Crofts Down at ST 63150163 the lynchets are up to 4.0m high. <3>

Settlement and 'Celtic' fields at ST 632016 on the Crofts Down extend eastwards into Ellston Hill and cover over 120 acres of a SW facing chalk spur.

On Ellston Hill the fields tend to be oblong, 550 ft by 150 ft and 180 ft orientated EW.

On The Crofts Down the field remains are more fragmentary, being absent on the summit, faint on the west slope but well preserved on the south-west end of the spur. <7>

The Celtic field system on Crofts Down and Ellston Hill has now been entirely ploughed out. Soilmarks of the former field system are visible on AP (b). Published detail at 1:2500 scale cancelled. <6>

Earthwork remains of the field system described by the above authorities are visible centred at approximately ST 6366 0162 on aerial photographs. Most of the remains are slight, but the earthworks in a small field to the south-west (centred at ST 6342 0152) appear better preserved. Faint earthworks can be seen extending east of the area originally described above. These features are visible on aerial photographs taken by English Heritage in 2007 as part of the Reconnaissance Recording Programme. <8>

Linear banked earthworks and lynchets associated with a prehistoric settlement and field system of probable Iron Age/Romano-British date are visible on aerial photographs and current Lidar imagery on The Crofts Down, Sydling St Nicholas <9-13>. The features comprise multiple linear banks following around the contour line, with some perpendicular banks forming partial irregular enclosures. A particular arrangement of curvilinear banks and ditches are concentrated at ST 63162 01634, possibly the site of a settlement - these earthworks are recorded as the site of a 'British Settlement' on the OS 1st Edition map <1>. A possible double banked linear trackway or hollow way is visible at ST 63850 01775 <9>.The features were digitally plotted during the Dorset Upper Frome AIM project.

The features are still generally visible on Google Earth imagery, although many appear severely plough reduced.

National Monuments Record, 10-JAN-2007, NMR ST 6301/8 NMR 24507/50 (Aerial Photograph). SDO18903.

<1> Ordnance Survey, 1864, 1886, Ordnance Survey 25-inch map, epoch one (Map). SDO10239.

<2> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments England, 1952, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume I (West), 236 (Monograph). SDO97.

<3> Quinnell, N V, Various, Field Investigators Comments NVQ, F1 NVQ 24-FEB-55 (Unpublished document). SDO11903.

<5> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 6in, 1962 (Map). SWX1540.

(ST 63300188) Field system (NR)

<6> Attrill, N J, Field Investigators Comments NJA, F2 NJA 04-OCT-76 (Unpublished document). SDO14743.

<6.1> Ordnance Survey, OS/74/088 139 (Aerial Photograph). SDO18902.

<7> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, RCHM Ms File (unpublished revision of Dorset 1), 21.9.76 (Unpublished document). SDO17382.

<9> Royal Air Force, 15-APR-45, RAF/106G/LA/218 FP 1038 (Aerial Photograph). SDO17063.

<10> Royal Air Force, 11-APR-47, RAF/CPE/UK/1974 FS 2379-80 (Aerial Photograph). SDO17066.

<11> Royal Air Force, 11-APR-47, RAF/CPE/UK/1974 FS 2380-1 (Aerial Photograph). SDO17070.

<12> Pan Government Agreement, 07-JAN-2009, Next Perspectives APGB Imagery (Aerial Photograph). SDO16858.

<13> Environment Agency, XX-XXX-2019, LIDAR Environment Agency Composite LAST RETURN (Photograph). SDO16524.

<14> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, Externally held archive: RCH01/088 RCHME Inventory: Dorset I (West) and Revision (Unpublished document). SDO17367.

<15> National Record of the Historic Environment, 199226 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Nov 25 2022 12:01PM