Monument record MDO43574 - Field System, Shillingstone

ST 834093 Field System of Iron Age/Romano-British type on Shillingstone Hill. <1>

"Group (58): Shillingstone Hill (Shillingstone). 'Celtic' fields once covered Shillingstone Hill from ST 828100 on the W to 845093 at the extreme SE of the parish and formerly continued in all directions. Until destruction during afforestation, the remains were prominent over some 120 acres of the E end of Shillingstone Hill.

All the fields were on Chalk between 300 ft and 600 ft OD. The area was Common Pasture in 1839 (Tithe Map), but the 'Celtic' fields had been altered and disturbed by strip ploughing, particularly on N and E and many lynchets, often 6 ft high, had been dug along for flints. A double-lynchet track can be traced for 700 yds; it probably ran from the vicinity of the R Stour to the settlement, Shillingstone (25), at the extreme W of this group. Towards the summit of the hill its course was sinuous. It had been hollowed for part of its length as a result of reuse. An oval enclosure (Y), of 1.2 acre, now flattened, lay at 841092. The line of lynchets NE from a point just S of this enclosure was probably a boundary. 'Celtic' fields downhill of it are generally narrower and longer (up to 100 yds) and are defined by relatively low lynchets and banks.

Settlement (25) and the whole of the hilltop W of it, capped by clay-with-flints, had been disturbed by tracks, quarrying and, possibly, by ploughing. 'Celtic' field remains here were slight but definite and joined with those also much broken, on the spur (828100) at the W of the group. Fields ran down to Eastcombe Bottom E of the spur, but they have been flattened by strip ploughing on the W side. Dyke (26) was built over 'Celtic' lynchets.

Original fields in the main block were apparently 3/4 acre to 1 acre in size, field sides ranging from 33 yds to 80 yds." <2-3>

Area centred ST 82851005. The northeast facing spur of Shillingstone Hill is now covered beneath dense conifer plantations, with consequent northeast/southwest surface ridging for drainage. This area has also been subjected in the past, to extensive chalk/flint diggings. Peripheral remains of the 'Celtic' field system can only be located with great difficulty and are now virtually impossible to trace for any distance due to the thick coarse undergrowth. <4>

<1> Atkinson, R J C, Annotated Record Map Private 6 Sheet (R J C Atkinson Undated), 15.2.50 (Map). SWX1667.

<2> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume III (Central) Part 2, 340 (Monograph). SDO136.

<3> Royal Air Force, 11-APR-1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1975 4020-22 (Aerial Photograph). SDO17771.

<3.1> Ordnance Survey, 17-JUL-1928, OS 428/16/23-25 (Aerial Photograph). SDO17772.

<4> Stone, J W, Field Investigators Comments JWS, F1 JWS 14-MAR-78 (Unpublished document). SDO11902.

<5> Historic England, Historic England Archive, 883069 (Index). SDO14738.

RCHME: Shillingstone Hill Field Remains, Dorset: Publication proof, scored on acetate, `315' written in pencil next to the site details. Inscription: Diagram of remains on Shillingstone Hill. E. Part of Group 24.,Bibliographic References : 1) Pt 2, Group (58).

<6> National Record of the Historic Environment, 205549 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Mar 10 2022 8:53AM