Monument record MDO41435 - Possible post medieval narrow ridge and furrow, Henbury House, Sturminster Marshall

An area of ditched and ridged cultivation marks enclosed by ditched and banked linear features is visible to the east of Henbury House, Sturminster Marshall, on aerial photographs and current Lidar imagery. The features are presumed to be historic cultivation marks, possibly those of post medieval narrow ridge and furrow, enclosed by historic field boundaries also of possible post medieval date, although an earlier origin for these is also possible. They were digitally plotted by the Dorset Stour NMP project.

An area of ditched and ridged cultivation marks enclosed by ditched and banked linear features is visible to the east of Henbury House, Sturminster Marshall, on aerial photographs and current Lidar imagery (1-3).

The features comprise regular parallel ridges set approximately 4.8m apart, with a 1.5m ditch in between. The features are bounded to the northwest and southwest by banked and ditched linears that form two sides of a small sub-rectilinear enclosure. The linear features are considered likely to be historic field boundaries of possible post medieval date. An earlier origin for these is possible, however, as they are situated close to additional banked curvilinear features (MDO41436) to the north and northwest that are thought likely to be historic field boundaries of probable medieval origin, possibly part of a medieval strip field.

The cultivation marks are presumed likely to be post medieval in date, possibly those of narrow ridge and furrow.

The site is partially open fields on Google Earth imagery. The linear boundary features are still visible, though not the cultivation marks. The features were digitally plotted from aerial photographs and current Lidar imagery by the Dorset Stour NMP project.

<1> Royal Air Force, 17-JAN-47, RAF/CPE/UK/1934 V 5138-9 (Aerial Photograph). SDO16137.

<2> BKS Surveys Ltd, 07-FEB-68, BKS/3161 V 629400-1 (Aerial Photograph). SDO16138.

<3> Environment Agency, xxx-xxx-2015, Geomatics Lidar DSM 50cm (Aerial Photograph). SDO16012.

Record last edited

Aug 22 2018 3:37PM