Monument record MDO4820 - Prehistoric field system, Stourpaine and Pimperne

An extensive prehistoric coaxial field system is visible as cropmarks and earthworks on aerial photographs and lidar imagery within Blandford Forest and westwards onto France Down. The primary axis of the field system is NE-SW. It covers an area of 82 hectares and was digitally plotted during the Dorset Middle Stour AIM Project.

'Group (61): Stourpaine, Iwerne Stepleton and Iwerne Courtney. 'Celtic' fields, all greatly disturbed, appear over some 150 acres of E. Stourpaine and can be just detected in the two parishes on the N.
All the fields are on Upper Chalk between 200 ft. and 500 ft. O.D. To the E. of Manor Farm, Stourpaine, ST 876091, and E. of Ash Farm, 868101 to 873100, in both instances on N.-facing valley-sides, the remains have been overlain by or integrated with strip and subsequent cultivation. E. of the second block the plough disturbance is generally later. On Stourpaine Down, around 880107, a broken pattern can be seen in a field called Horse Leys on the Tithe Map. (CPE/UK 1944: 3322-4). The only apparently complete fields here are 120 yds. Long and about 35 yds. Wide. S. of this, traces on France Down (876091) continue S. into Pimperne, again broken by strip and later cultivation (CPE/UK 1934: 2159-61).
In Iwerne Stepleton there are traces of fields N. of Everley Coppice, around 872118, and in Iwerne Courtney there are traces between Ranston Hill and Furzhill (873128 - 879129).
Air photographs: CPE/UK 1944: 2323-5'. (1)

An extensive prehistoric coaxial field system is visible as cropmarks and earthworks on aerial photographs and lidar imagery within Blandford Forest and westwards onto France Down [2-5. The primary axis of the field system is NE-SW. It covers an area of 82 hectares and was digitally plotted during the Dorset Middle Stour AIM Project.

<1> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume III (Central) Part 2, 341-342 (Monograph). SDO136.

<2> Environment Agency, 16-NOV-2021, LIDAR Environment Agency DTM (Aerial Photograph). SDO18034.

<3> Royal Air Force, 11-APR-1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1975 RS 4015 (Aerial Photograph). SDO18889.

<4> National Monuments Record, 30-MAR-1982, NMR 2110/1177 (Aerial Photograph). SDO18890.

<5> Ordnance Survey, 13-APR-1984, OS/84023 V 3 (Aerial Photograph). SDO18891.

Record last edited

Nov 24 2022 6:21PM