Monument record MDO43759 - Prehistoric field system, Poyntington

At least 40 acres of celtic fields visible as cropmarks on Poyntington Down. Partly under plough and partly under pasture. The field system is visible as earthworks and cropmarks on aerial photographs and Environment Agency lidar imagery.

Record created as part of the NRHE to HER data transfer project. <1-2>

A late prehistoric field system of irregular polygonal fields defined by banks is visible on Poyntington Down; the field system appears to be better preserved to the south of the valley cutting the down (the area now under plough). In this area a number of relict field boundaries are visible in 1947 APs, including several lynchets, with the system in this area also visble in satellite images and LiDAR imagery as low earthworks. The field system in the area of pasture to the north of the valley is less clear, but a group of lynchets centred at ST 6424 2170 are likely to be related. <3-5>

<1> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, Unpublished revision RCHME Dorset I (West) Undated (Poyntington file) (Unpublished document). SDO17985.

<1.1> Royal Air Force, 11-APR-1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1974 1145-6 (Aerial Photograph). SDO17984.

<2> Historic England, National Record of the Historic Environment, 1410633 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

<3> Royal Air Force, 16-JAN-1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1924 RP 3294 (Aerial Photograph). SDO21832.

<4> Environment Agency, 2022, LiDAR Composite Viewer - Digital Terrain Model 1m (Aerial Photograph). SDO21777.

<5> Google Earth, 2009, Google Earth 2009 (Aerial Photograph). SDO15393.

Record last edited

Aug 17 2026 10:31AM