Monument record MDO40963 - Possible medieval field boundaries, Holt Green Farm, Holt

Banked and ditched curvilinear features in a field to the north of Holt Green Farm are visible on 1940s aerial photographs. The features are presumed to be historic field boundaries of possible medieval origin, although a later date is also possible. They were digitally plotted by the Dorset Stour NMP project.

Banked and ditched curvilinear features in a field to the north of Holt Green Farm are visible on 1940s aerial photographs (1).

The features are broad and curvilinear in form. They comprise a southeast to northwest aligned run of bank that follows the line of a historic field boundary recorded on the OS 1st Edition map (2). The bank runs along the south side of this boundary which is still extant in 1947 (1). The bank may be an earlier boundary line, possibly of medieval origin. A further section of broken bank runs southwest off this boundary line, forming a partial enclosure (1). The pattern of historic enclosure within which these features sit includes field boundaries that are irregular and curvilinear in form, suggesting a probable medieval origin, but with some straighter rectilinear boundaries sub-dividing these, indicating some post medieval re-organisation (2).

The features may be part of an earlier phase of enclsoure and are considered likely to be historic field boundaries of possible medieval origin, although a later date is also possible.

The site is still fields on current Google Earth imagery and the features remain faintly visible as cropmarks and parchmarks in certain years; particularly 2005 (3). The features were digitally plotted by the Dorset Stour NMP project.

<1> Royal Air Force, 17-JAN-47, RAF/CPE/UK/1934 RS 4185-6 (Aerial Photograph). SDO15984.

<2> Ordnance Survey, 1864, 1886, Ordnance Survey 25-inch map, epoch one (Map). SDO10239.

<3> Google Earth, XX-XXX-2005, EARTH.GOOGLE.COM (Aerial Photograph). SDO12698.

Record last edited

May 16 2018 9:50AM