Monument record MDO7301 - Lynchets, Church Knowle

Centred SY 930800. Field systems. Pronounced lynchets are visible in the areas SY 934796, SY 936802, SY 920798, SY 924798 and SY 926794. (1)

SY 925798-936795. Traces of 'Celtic' fields in the vicinity of Smedmore Hill extend over some 80 acres in an area rich in Iron Age and Romano-British remains. An almost certain relationship is now visible around the settlement. Strip lynchets and later narrow rig have contributed largely to the destruction of the fields.

Medieval strip fields occur as follows: … 'B' Centred SY 936804. Along the sides of a narrow valley are remains of up-and-down strips divided by banks up to 1 foot high. Widths vary from 20 yards to 25 yards. <2>

Three blocks of field strips occur on the steep SW slopes of Smedmore Hill, separated by blocks of unused land 50m to 150m wide. Two blocks of strips cover 5 ha., and the easternmost 1.5 ha., centred respectively at SY 92227979, SY 92447942 and SY 92747935. The strips are about 19m wide and mostly about 200m long. While from a distance they appear to be lynchetted each is divided by a ditch 8m wide and 0.4m to 0.8m deep rather like an exceptionally broad rig. They are not quite aligned to the hillslope and consequently a slightly higher build up of soil occurs on the western side of each strip producing the lynchet effect. At the SW corner of the centre block was formerly a large stone, considered to be a possible boundary marker (SY 97 NW 33). <3>

Area 'B'. A group of 'up and down' strips survive but the shallow parts of the west-facing slope on which they lie have been cleared and cultivated. <4>

Papworth, M D J, Trust for Wessex Archaeology, 1983, Isle of Purbeck Survey, IOP 212 (Index). SDO147.

‘Lynchets ploughed down but still visible. 7/7/C.’

<1> Rigg, J, Field Investigators Comments JR, F1 JR 17-JUL-52 (Unpublished document). SWX1255.

<2> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 1, 49 (Monograph). SDO148.

‘(32) STRIP FIELDS occur in four places: … (b) S. of Bradle (927802), mainly contour strip lynchets now almost ploughed out. Extensive narrow rig on the N. shoulder of Smedmore Hill shows that there was destruction by ploughing in the 19th century.’

<3> Quinnell, N V, Various, Field Investigators Comments NVQ, F2 NVQ 01-MAY-86 (Unpublished document). SDO11903.

<4> Fletcher, Martin, Field investigator's comments MJF, F3 MJF 04-MAY-86 (Unpublished document). SDO17630.

<5> National Record of the Historic Environment, 456959 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Feb 3 2025 11:03AM