Monument record MDO39850 - Possible Historic field boundaries, Gussage All Saints

Faint ditched rectilinear features are visible as cropmarks in a field to the northeast of Amen Corner, Gussage All Saints on 1976 aerial photographs. The features may be field boundaries of post medieval or later date but alternatively may be older features associated with a probable Iron Age or Romano-British enclosure and field system to the southwest (MDO39849). The features were digitally plotted by the Dorset Stour NMP project.

Faint ditched rectilinear features are visible as cropmarks in a field to the northeast of Amen Corner, Gussage All Saints on 1976 aerial photographs (1 and 2).

The ditched rectilinear features comprise two parallel southwest-northeast aligned linears, the northernmost and longer of which abuts a probable Iron Age or Romano-British enclosure (MDO39849) on its northeast side. A third straight ditched rectilinear southeast-northwest aligned feature runs perpendicular to this longer linear, forming a T shape. A fourth rectilinear feature aligning with this to the southeast is visible on a 2002 vertical aerial photograph (3). Two further shorter and parallel rectilinears are located around 95m to the northeast and are also aligned southeast-northwest.

These linears are on the same alignment as the historic field boundaries to the southwest and northwest but are on a different alignment to the field boundaries to former field boundaries to the east, present on the OS 1st Edition map (4) and removed post 1976 (3). These removed boundaries were more curvilinear in form, suggesting a probable medieval or older origin.

It is probable that the rectilinear features are field boundaries of post medieval or later date. Alternatively it is possible that they are older features associated with the probable Iron Age or Romano-British enclosure and field system (MDO39849) to the southwest.

The present-day field containing the linear features has undergone substantial boundary change since 1976. The field is under crops on a 2014 vertical aerial photograph (5).

The features were digitally plotted by the Dorset Stour NMP.

<1> John Boyden, 29-JUN-76, JRB 3019/14 (SU0010/0010) (Aerial Photograph). SDO15638.

<2> John Boyden, 07-JUL-76, JRB 3098/10 (SU0010/0009) (Aerial Photograph). SDO15637.

<3> Dorset County Council, 2002, Dorset County Council Vertical Photograph (Aerial Photograph). SDO13401.

<4> Ordnance Survey, 1864, 1886, Ordnance Survey 25-inch map, epoch one (Map). SDO10239.

<5> GetMapping, 2014, Digital vertical aerial photographs (Aerial Photograph). SDO14101.

Record last edited

Feb 7 2018 1:21PM