Monument record MDO43133 - Possible post medieval ridge and furrow, Cattistock

An area of ridged and ditched cultivation is visible as earthworks on 1940's aerial photograph to the northeast of Cattistock. The features may be those of post narrow medieval ridge and furrow, although an earlier date is also possible. The features were digitally plotted during the Dorset Upper Frome AIM project.

(Centred ST 605011) Field System plotted from air photographs. <1>

Contour following cultivation terraces of probable Md date extend irregularly for about 500.0m east to west along a S
facing valley slope. The well preserved grass covered lynchets average 4.0m high and 40.0m wide. An area of about 2 hectares (centred ST 60500105) at the eastern end of the lynchets has been overlaid by broad rig and furrow, visible on OS APs (b). Well defined under low lighting. Traces of similar terraces occur on the steeper northern slopes. <2>

'Celtic' field fragments, situated at ST 605011, ploughed into rough strip lynchets, 300yds long, in six long banks. <3>

An area of ridged and ditched cultivation is visible as earthworks on 1940's aerial photograph <5> to the northeast of Cattistock. The features comprise narrow parallel cultivation ridges just under 3m wide. They respect historic field boundaries to the north and may not extend south past a possible prehistoric field boundary, although this is not certain as the features are not distinct. They may be those of post narrow medieval ridge and furrow, although an earlier, possibly medieval, date is also possible. The features were digitally plotted during the Dorset Upper Frome AIM project.

The features are no longer visible on Google Earth imagery.

<1> Atkinson, R J C, 1949, spec 6 inch (RJCA 1.3.49) (Map). SWX1583.

<2> Stone, J W, Field Investigators Comments JWS, F1 JWS 29-JUL-76 (Unpublished document). SDO11902.

<2.1> Ordnance Survey, OS/74 087/0045 (Aerial Photograph). SDO18865.

<3> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, RCHM Ms File (unpublished revision of Dorset 1) (Unpublished document). SDO17382.

<4> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, Externally held archive: RCH01/088 RCHME Inventory: Dorset I (West) and Revision (Unpublished document). SDO17367.

<5> Royal Air Force, 11-APR-47, RAF/CPE/UK/1974 FS 2384-5 (Aerial Photograph). SDO17048.

<6> National Record of the Historic Environment, 199177 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Nov 23 2022 11:47AM