Monument record MDO3588 - Prehistoric field system on Little Down, Blandford St Mary

An extensive prehistoric field system covering over 100 acres. The fields were described in 1970 as being rather reduced by ploughing but with some blocks of fields surviving as discernible earthworks. The field system is visible as earthworks on lidar imagery and cropmarks on aerial photographs, and was digitally plotted during the Dorset Middle Stour AIM Project.

'GROUP (68): LITTLE DOWN (Blandford St. Mary. Plan, p. 344). 'Celtic' field remains, almost all broken by ploughing, occur over 100 acres of Little Down, Fox Ground Down and other areas in the N.W. of Blandford St. Mary parish, between 855032, 871036 and 854049. All are on Upper Chalk, partly capped by Clay-with-flints, between about 200 ft. and 400 ft. O.D. They formerly continued in all directions and they were almost certainly linked with fields of Group (60) to the N. A settlement, Blandford St. Mary (26), apparently Romano-British, is integrated with fields on Little Down, 856039. A probable settlement (a), a complex but roughly circular enclosed area of about 8 acres, suggestively Iron Age in form, is visible on air photographs ½ mile N. W. at 850045; it is cut by the parish boundary between Winterborne Clenston and Winterbourne Stickland (Cambridge University Collections: obliques, AMN 100-2). The fields appear to be contemporary with cross-dykes and linear ditches.

The track approaching (26) from the W. is bounded by a ditched enclosure on the S., and, on the N., by a ditch which continues to form the boundary of another enclosure, a trapezoid of 1½ acres with subsidiary enclosures, which appears to be at the heart of the settlement. The track widens to about 30 ft. and then contracts to under 10 ft. before entering this enclosure. Dyke (27) is apparently linked to the settlement by a straight ditch running towards its N. end. Dyke (28), S. of the settlement, was integrated with ‘Celtic’ fields of which some unploughed scarps survive to a height of about 6 ft.

Dyke (29), on Fox Ground Down, apparently bounded ‘Celtic’ fields N. of it. These were of regular form with long sides frequently extending to about 130 yds. There were also traces of fields immediately S.

Probable settlement (a) lies on the W. shoulder of a broad saddle in the N.-S. ridge, on ground sloping gently W. just above the 400 ft. contour, 150 yds. W. of the most westerly visible ‘Celtic’ fields.

About ¾ mile E. of Fox Ground Down, S.E. of Higher Buildings, 886038, at 200 ft. O.D. in an area otherwise without any such sign, air photographs taken by J. R. Boyden (ST 8803/1 and 2, N.M.R.) show a possible enclosure and track among traces of ‘Celtic’ fields which cover some 15 acres of W.-sloping ground.

Air photographs: CPE/UK 1934: 3163-6'

The field system is visible as earthworks on lidar imagery [2] and aerial photographs [3] and was digitally plotted during the Dorset Middle Stour AIM Project. It extends to the south in MDO3571.

<1> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume III (Central) Part 1, 345-346 (Monograph). SDO146.

GROUP (68): LITTLE DOWN (Blandford St. Mary. Plan, p. 344). 'Celtic' field remains, almost all broken by ploughing, occur over 100 acres of Little Down, Fox Ground Down and other areas in the N.W. of Blandford St. Mary parish, between 855032, 871036 and 854049. All are on Upper Chalk, partly capped by Clay-with-flints, between about 200 ft. and 400 ft. O.D. They formerly continued in all directions and they were almost certainly linked with fields of Group (60) to the N. A settlement, Blandford St. Mary (26), apparently Romano-British, is integrated with fields on Little Down, 856039. A probable settlement (a), a complex but roughly circular enclosed area of about 8 acres, suggestively Iron Age in form, is visible on air photographs ½ mile N.W. at 850045; it is cut by the parish boundary between Winterborne Clenston and Winterborne Stickland (Cambridge University Collections: obliques, AMN 100-2). The fields appear to be contemporary with cross-dykes and linear ditches.
The track approaching (26) from the W. is bounded by a ditched enclosure on the S., and, on the N., by a ditch which continues to form the boundary of another enclosure, a trapezoid of 1½ acres with subsidiary enclosures, which appears to be at the heart of the settlement. The track widens to about 30 ft. and then contracts to under 10 ft. before entering this enclosure. Dyke (27) is apparently linked to the settlement by a straight ditch running towards its N. end. Dyke (28), S. of the settlement, was integrated with 'Celtic' fields of which some unploughed scarps survive to a height of about 6 ft.
Dyke (29), on Fox Ground Down, apparently bounded 'Celtic' fields N. of it. These were of regular form with long sides frequently extending to about 130 yds. There were also traces of fields immediately S.
Probable settlement (a) lies on the W. shoulder of a broad saddle in the N.-S. ridge, on ground sloping gently W. just above the 400 ft. contour, 150 yds. W. of the most westerly visible 'Celtic' fields.
About 3/4 mile E. of Fox Ground Down, S.E. of Higher Buildings, 886038, at 200 ft. O.D. in an area otherwise without any such sign, air photographs taken by J.R.Boyden (ST8803/1 and 2, N.M.R.) show a possible enclosure and track among traces of 'Celtic' fields which cover some 15 acres of W.-sloping ground.
Air photographs: CPE/UK !934: 3163-6'.

<2> Environment Agency, 16-NOV-2021, LIDAR Environment Agency DTM (Aerial Photograph). SDO18034.

<3> National Monuments Record, 18-SEP-2007, NMR 24729/16 (Aerial Photograph). SDO19547.

Record last edited

Jan 2 2024 3:24PM