Monument record MDO735 - Prehistoric field system, Great Wood, Cerne Abbas

Probable prehistoric field-system, immediately south of Great Wood, in the north west corner of the parish. Banked linear and curvilinear earthworks are visible at this location on 1940s aerial photographs. The features form a series of small irregular enclosures extending across an overall area of approximately 630m by 460m. They may be an extension of an extensive late prehistoric field system (MDO2812) to the north on Seldon Hill, of potentially Iron Age/Romano-British date. The features were digitally plotted during the Dorset Upper frome AIM project.

(ST 647021) There is a Celtic field system immediately south of Great Wood and on the east side of Wancombe Hill. <1>

Around Great Wood a small group of fairly well preserved banks cover 6 acres and are aligned in a similar manner to those on
Seldon Hill (ST 60 SW 11). There is a circular feature at ST 646019 which appears to be a settlement feature. <2>

The field system on the E of Wancombe Hill and around Great Wood was partly arable but visible on 1947 APs (a). Since then
regular ploughing has destroyed all but 1.5 hectares centred at ST 64850200. Here a half dozen irregular fields, each of about .25 hectares, survive between the 600 ft and 700 ft contours. They are bounded by lynchets up to 1.5m high and banks up to 1.0m high. Although currently unploughed it is fairly certain that the area will also be brought under cultivation in the near future.

The circular feature recorded cannot be seen on the ground (arable) or on APs. Three is a natural depression at ST 615019 depicted on the OS 6". <3>

Probable prehistoric field-system, immediately south of Great Wood, in the north west corner of the parish. Banked linear and curvilinear earthworks and cropmarks are visible at this location on 1940s aerial photographs and were digitally plotted during the Dorset Upper frome AIM project (3, 4). The features form a series of small irregular enclosures extending across an overall area of approximately 630m by 460m. They may be an extension of an extensive late prehistoric field system (MDO2812) to the north on Seldon Hill, of potentially Iron Age/Romano-British date.

Some of the features are visible as earthworks and cropmarks on Google Earth imagery, particularly on the east side of the group but many features may be levelled.

<1> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments England, 1952, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume I (West), 84 (Monograph). SDO97.

'(40) Celtic field-system, immediately S. of Great Wood in the N.W. corner of the parish'.

<2> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, RCHM Ms File (unpublished revision of Dorset 1), 22.9.76 (Unpublished document). SDO17382.

<3> Attrill, N J, Field Investigators Comments NJA, F1 NJA 04-OCT-76 (Unpublished document). SDO14743.

<3.1> Ordnance Survey, OS/74/088/138-9 (Aerial Photograph). SDO18863.

<4> Royal Air Force, 11-APR-47, RAF/CPE/UK/1974 FS 2379-80 (Aerial Photograph). SDO17066.

<5> Royal Air Force, 11-APR-47, RAF/CPE/UK/1974 RS 4376-7 (Aerial Photograph). SDO17032.

<6> Historic England, Historic England Archive, AA67/02566 (Index). SDO14738.

VIEW WEST FROM GIANT HILL,CERNE ABBAS.PHOTO ALSO SHOWS ST60SE21 (ST 6510 0235)

<7> National Record of the Historic Environment, 199629 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Nov 25 2022 12:40PM