Monument record MDO43338 - Iron Age/Romano-British field system, Ibberton and Winterborne Houghton

Earthwork remains of an Iron Age or Romano British field system extending over some 70 acres. The remains are concentrated in two main areas, although the northern area has been much reduced by ploughing.

'A' - Area centred ST 795072. A field system of pronounced field banks and lynchets of Iron Age/Romano-British type, under grass and rough pasture, occupying the west slopes of parts of Chitcombe Down, and Ibberton, and part of Ibberton Long Down.
'B' - Area centred ST 802067. A narrow area extending on the north side of the Winterborne Houghton Boundary. The lynchets and field banks are fairly pronounced, though scattered, and of Iron Age/Romano-British type. <2>

Centred ST 790070. Iron Age/Romano-British 'Celtic' fields, now largely destroyed are traceable over some 70 acres in the east half of Ibberton, on Bell Hill in Okeford Fitzpaine parish. There has been considerable disturbance by ploughing in the past. Medieval or later strip lynchets in Coombe Bottom (see ST 80 NW 38) themselves overploughed, probably impinged on the Iron Age/Romano-British settlement (ST 80 NW 10) and associated 'Celtic' fields. Strip lynchets apparently also lie over 'Celtic' fields on Ibberton Hill (see ST 70 NE 20).

The clearest pattern of 'Celtic' fields occurs on South Down between ST 795064 and circa ST 807069. Lynchets on the rounded top of the spur were up to 4ft high and those on the steep slopes to the south were up to 15ft high. Field sizes were from 1/4 to 1 1/4 acres. Air photographs <3.1 & 3.2> show a stretch of track between 'Celtic' fields along the south shoulder of the settlement towards the probably associated earthwork (see ST 80 NW 10). Fields continued in all directions and there are faint indications of a connection with further broken remains east of Stickland Wood (see ST 80 NW 19). Lynchets lie parallel to, and north of cross-dyke (ST 70 NE 7) on Bell Hill but bear no direct relationship with that feature. <3>

<1> Atkinson, R J C, 1949, Annotated Record Map Rec. 6 (R J C Atkinson 1 3 49) (Map). SWX2397.

(Area ST 790070) Field systems taken from air photographs.

<2> Quinnell, N V, Various, Field Investigators Comments NVQ, F1 NVQ 19-AUG-55 (Unpublished document). SDO11903.

<2.1> Royal Air Force, 1975, RAF CPE/UK/1975 4028 (Aerial Photograph). SDO17509.

<2.2> Royal Air Force, 22-JAN-1948, RAF/CPE/UK/2431 4336-40 (Aerial Photograph). SDO17510.

<3> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume III (Central) Part 2, 339 (Monograph). SDO136.

Gp 54 - see end pocket for IA/RB plan

<3.1> Royal Air Force, 17-JAN-1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1934 2170-1 (Aerial Photograph). SDO17512.

<3.2> Royal Air Force, 1975, RAF/CPE/UK 1975 2025-7 (Aerial Photograph). SDO17511.

<4> National Record of the Historic Environment, 201747 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Sep 21 2022 3:32PM