Monument record MDO5175 - Strip lynchets in The Park, Turnworth

A medieval field system in the form of contour strip lynchets visible as slight earthworks, having been reduced by ploughing. The remains of the open field system of the village. In this part of the parish fields had been enclosed piecemeal, before final enclosure took place in 1805.

(Centred ST 816080) Contour strip lynchets in 'The Park', at ST 817079 and ST 816081, run into 'Celtic' fields (ST 80 NW 18). <1>

<1> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume III (Central) Part 2, 291 (Monograph). SDO136.

‘(6) CULTIVATION REMAINS. A three-field system was in existence early in the 14th century (P.R.O. Assize Roll No.1368, m.7). When final enclosure took place in 1805 (D.C.R.O., Map and Award) three open fields still remained, but it is clear that much piecemeal enclosure had already occurred, especially to the W. of the village, with consequent reorganisation of the fields. The traces of former strip cultivation extend over more than 80 acres.
Strip lynchets of the open fields which were still in existence in 1805 are seen N.E. and S.E. of the village. In ‘North Field’, immediately E. and N. of (3), on ‘The Cliff’ (822074-817084), the remains of seventeen contour strip lynchets are divided into four furlongs from 120 yds. to 300 yds. long. The strip lynchets of the northernmost furlong overlie ‘Celtic’ fields (Group (56)); to the N.E. of the southernmost furlong (820079) are thirty flat strips, oriented N.E.-S.W., 8 yds. to 30 yds. wide and bounded by low banks; between the upper four and the lower four strip lynchets of one of the central furlongs (80900807), on a steep slope, are the fragmentary remains of four up-and-down strip lynchets with treads 15 yds. wide and risers 1 ft. high; their W. ends are cut by the lower contour strip lynchets and they clearly represent an earlier furlong, abandoned when the contour strip lynchets were developed. In ‘Lower Field’, S.E. of the village, are the fragmentary remains of three contour strip lynchets (around 827070), with risers still standing up to 8 ft. high.
Strip lynchets and ridge-and-furrow of former open fields that had been enclosed before 1805 are found W. of the village. In ‘The Park’ (817079 and 816081) and E. of Brockham (818069), ploughed-out contour strip lynchets run into ‘Celtic’ fields (Group (56)) on the W.; in Lines Dean Bottom (818076) are two blocks of contour and cross-contour strip lynchets, up to 250 yds. long; to the S. of Lines Dean Bottom (around 816074) 30 acres of ridge-and-furrow, 7 yds. wide, are arranged in five butting furlongs, a typical open field lay-out. The last mentioned has been reploughed into three-yard narrow-rig by splitting each original ridge into two, probably in the 18th or 19th century.’

<2> National Record of the Historic Environment, 205611 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Aug 23 2024 3:35PM