Monument record MDO29 - Lynchets on White Hill, Abbotsbury

Terraces on the southern slope of White Hill. These earthworks have been interpreted as the remains of a strip field system of medieval date, but may in part be of natural origin.

An irregular system of lynchets on the south slopes of White Hill may be in part natural. <1>

'A' Area centred at SY 579860. In the area delineated there are four very strong near parallel medieval type lynchet-like slopes which may possibly be lynchets; but in view of the surrounding area having an unusual natural formation of outcrop rock and gravel, in some instances resembling lynchets, it cannot be said with certainty that 'A' is in fact the result of cultivation. <2>

An extensive series of lynchets is visible as earthworks on aerial photographs <4-7> on the southern slopes of White Hill and Abotsbury Plains. Many of the lynchets appear to be of medieval-type and are clearly the result of cultivation however some of the parallel features may be of natural geological origin. The site was digitally plotted during the South Dorset Ridgeway Mapping Project.

<1> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments England, 1952, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume I (West), 11 (Monograph). SDO97.

'LYNCHETS, on the S. slope of White Hill, N. of the village, form no regular system and may be in part natural.'

<2> Swatridge, G C, Various, Field Investigators Comments GCS, F1 GCS 24-MAR-55 (Unpublished document). SWX1169.

<3> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 6in, 1967 (Map). SWX1540.

(Centred SY 573859; SY577859; SY 584859; SY 572855; SY 575855). Strip Lynchets (NR) (NAT)

<4> Royal Air Force, 17-JAN-1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1934 1071-2 (Aerial Photograph). SDO11629.

<5> Royal Air Force, 17-JAN-1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1934 1072-3 (Aerial Photograph). SDO11631.

<6> 21-APR-1984, NMR OS/84038 388-9 (Aerial Photograph). SDO11630.

6

<7> Royal Air Force, 22-JAN-1948, RAF/CPE/UK/2431 3286-7 (Aerial Photograph). SDO11626.

<8> National Record of the Historic Environment, 450390 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Aug 22 2024 2:42PM