Monument record MDO41083 - Possible medieval strip field, Canford Magna, Poole

Banked curvilinear features at Canford Magna are visible on 1940s aerial photographs. The features may be cultivation marks (MDO41083) of possible medieval or post medieval date, perhaps associated with an area of relict medieval strip field. They were digitally plotted by the Dorset Stour NMP project.

Banked curvilinear features at Canford Magna are visible on 1940s aerial photographs (1).

The features are very faint and indistinct but appear to be narrow and slightly curvilinear in form. They are set broadly parallel to each and aligned north to south within a large irrgular historic enclosure to the west of Canford Magna, recorded on the OS 1st Edition map and whose slightly sinuous boundaries may be medieval in origin (2). Their spacing, between 35m and 114m apart is too variable to be certain but the features may be cultivation marks (MDO41083) of possible medieval date, perhaps associated with an area of relict medieval strip field. They could, however, be of post medieval agricultural origin.

The features overlie several broad banked linear features that may be historic field boundaries (MDO41082) of possible medieval date, although a later origin for these is also possible.

The site is developed as housing on current Google Earth imagery and the features are no longer visible. They were digitally plotted by the Dorset Stour NMP.

<1> Royal Air Force, 17-JAN-47, RAF/CPE/UK/1934 RP 3189-90 (Aerial Photograph). SDO16006.

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

Record last edited

Jan 6 2020 11:34AM