Monument record MDO43570 - Celtic field system, Okeford Fitzpaine, Shillingstone, Turnworth

'Celtic' fields, much altered, cover about 80 acres of the spurs projecting N. from Okeford Hill between ST 808094, 808098 and 824097, at 500 ft. to 700 ft. O.D. There are also traces of 'Celtic' fields N. of the dyke at ST 803090 (ST 80 NW 5).

On the W. parts of Okeford Hill the fields partially survive only W. of the road to Okeford Fitzpaine. Here they are on Upper Chalk and seem not to have intruded on to the angular flints, sand and clay which cap the ridge immediately south Only two or three original fields are intact; they are from 1/3 to 2/3 acre. Substantial overploughing and shallow quarrying have reduced or levelled former sides although the surviving lynchets are up to 7 ft. high. A hollow-way up to 4 ft. deep, later than the fields, runs up the spur W. of the modern road following a line of 'Celtic' field lynchets. At 80870975 a slightly hollowed double-lynchet feature of uncertain origin, 21 ft. wide, runs W. downhill. To the E. of the road to Okeford Fitzpaine the remains have been ploughed almost flat. A dyke (ST 80 NW 2) now destroyed, was integrated with 'Celtic' fields whose sides sprang N. and S. from it, indicating field widths of 30 yds. to 70 yds. To the S.E., on Clay-with-flints, the much broken remains link up with those around dyke (ST 80 NW 3) on the E. parts of Okeford Hill, investigated before the fields were levelled. The lynchets on the Chalk spur were almost entirely low, about 2 ft. Some divisions had been removed by previous secondary ploughing. The long line of lynchets at E. had attained a height of about 3 ft before the dyke was built over it. <2>

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

(Centred ST 816094) Field Systems.

<2> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume III (Central) Part 1 (Monograph). SDO146.

<2.1> Royal Air Force, 11-APR-1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1975 4024 (Aerial Photograph). SDO17767.

<2.2> Royal Air Force, 11-APR-1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1975 4025-26 (Aerial Photograph). SDO17761.

<2.3> Royal Air Force, 17-JAN-1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1944 1327-8 (Aerial Photograph). SDO17768.

<2.4> Royal Air Force, 17-JAN-1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1934 4196 (Aerial Photograph). SDO17769.

<3> Historic England, Historic England Archive, RCH01/096 (Index). SDO14738.

RCHME Inventory: Dorset III (Central): A large collection of archive relating to the RCHME Dorset Inventory Volume III, published in 1970. It contains field surveys and excavation archive. Parish files containing original surveys have been given child collection status.

<4> National Record of the Historic Environment, 205548 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Mar 10 2022 8:52AM