Monument record MDO41085 - Possible medieval field boundary, Canford Magna, Poole

A banked curvilinear feature to the west of Canford Magna is visible on aerial photographs. The feature may be a historic field boundaryof possible medieval date. Alternatively its' scale may indicate a different function as a boundary bank or possible wood bank, again possibly medieval in origin. The feature was digitally plotted by the Dorset Stour NMP project.

A banked curvilinear feature to the west of Canford Magna is visible on aerial photographs (1 and 2).

The feature comprises a broad curvilinear bank around 5m wide at its eastern end, possibly narrowing slightly at its centre where it forms, or is fossilised by, a historic field boundary recorded on the OS 1st Edition map and bordering the south side of a narrow strip of woodland (3). In 1946 this central section of bank is topped by a row of trees (1). The western end of the feature continues west as a wide scarped bank spreading to around 11m wide. It may originally have continued west, fossilised by a historic tree-lined field boundary also recorded on the OS 1st Edition map and ending on the northeast side of Wimborne Lodge. This field boundary may have been divided fom the banked linear by the construction of the Southampton and Dorchester railway (3).

The feature is considered likely to be a historic field boundary of possible medieval date. Alternatively its' scale may indicate a different function as a boundary bank or possible wood bank, again possibly medieval in origin.

The site is still open ground on current Google Earth imagery, with some modern boundary changes and cut by the A31 Wimborne bypass . The feature is still partially visible in areas of open ground. It was 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> Royal Air Force, 17-APR-51, RAF/58/629 V 5101-2 (Aerial Photograph). SDO16017.

<3> Ordnance Survey, 1864, 1886, Ordnance Survey 25-inch map, epoch one (Map). SDO10239.

Record last edited

Jan 6 2020 11:33AM