Monument record MDO7303 - 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 settlemnt (SY 97 NW 28). Strip lynchets and later narrow rig have contributed largely to the destruction of the fields.

Medieval strip fields occur as follows: … 'D' SY 927802. Contour strip lynchets south of Bradle, now almost ploughed out. <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). (Areas marked SY 98 SW 24 'E.' 'F.' 'G.'on Record 6"). <3>

Area 'D'. The north-facing hillslope is regularly ploughed and is now under crop. The contour-following strip lynchets were not identified on the ground. <4>

Papworth, M D J, Trust for Wessex Archaeology, 1983, Isle of Purbeck Survey, IOP 214 (Index). SDO147.

‘Site lies in regularly ploughed fields. 7/7/D.’

<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 Rigg, J, Field Investigators Comments JR, F1 JR 17-JUL-52 (Unpublished document).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: … (d) S. of Woodhill Coppice (from 937804 to 940798) where, in a much disturbed area of about 40 acres, two blocks remain on either side of a sunk bridle road running N.W. to S.E. A riser 3 ft. high forms the S. side of this road where the strips run on to a headland. Strips vary in width from 8 yds. to 15 yds. and are divided by very low banks about 9 ft. wide, deepened on a secondary slope by lynchet action. Narrow rig 2 yds. to 3 yds. wide can still be seen on them. (R.A.F. V.A.P. CPE/UK 1821: 2414, 5412–4.)’

<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 11:05AM