Monument record MDO7525 - Prehistoric field system, Corfe Common, Corfe Castle

Extensive remains of a late prehistoric or Romano-british enclosed field system are visible as earthworks on aerial photographs of Corfe Common, Corfe Castle. The best preserved area, comprising well-defined rectilinear plots, is located within the southern part of the common.

Corfe Common. SY 955809-SY 960810. Remains of Celtic Fields cover 15 acres of sandy soil on a maximum south slope of 10o. A block of at least six fields lies relatively well-preserved at about SY 95758086 within a total area of some 2 acres. Lynchets are up to 8ft high. There is no ascertainable relationship with the barrows (see SY 98 SE 16, 17). (See plan with SY 98 SE 21).

An impressive prehistoric or Romano-British field system defined as 'Celtic' fields occupies the reasonably steep south and southwest-facing slopes across the whole of the common. The best-preserved area, comprising well-defined rectilinear plots is, centred at SY95758086 on the southern fringe of part of the barrow cemetery. Here small linked unenclosed square plots, resembling a chequerboard, with distinctive rounded corners and straight sides are formed from the material excavated out of the steep slope are anything up to 2m in height with back scarps up to 1.6m in height. There are no obvious inter-connecting ramps to the plots. Scattered patched of dense gorse and ground cover vegetation obscure parts of this extensive and impressive field system. The 'Celtic' fields extend across the lower, south-facing slopes and consequently are not as well defined with front scarps or 'risers' up to 0.8m high. These plots clearly respect the courses of the broad and natural shallow valleys which are formed by the action of spring sapping, by inturning along the line of the valley slope.

The 'Celtic' field system on the common resembles the fields located to the north on the exposed Challow Hill (SY 98 SE 49).

See Corfe Common report AI/28/2003. <2>

Extensive remains of a late prehistoric or Romano-british enclosed field system are visible as earthworks on aerial photographs <3-7> of Corfe Common, Corfe Castle. The best preserved area, comprising well-defined rectilinear plots, is located within the southern part of the common. These features were digitally plotted during the Wild Purbeck mapping project.

<1> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 3, 631 (Monograph). SDO150.

<2> Fletcher, Martin, Field investigator's comments MJF, F1 MJF 20 Feb 2004 (Unpublished document). SDO17630.

<3> Royal Air Force, 27-MAR-1945, RAF 106G/LA/200 1061-62 (Aerial Photograph). SDO13681.

<4> Royal Air Force, 27-MAR-1945, RAF 106G/LA/200 1062-63 (Aerial Photograph). SDO13675.

<5> Royal Air Force, 03-AUG-1961, RAF 543/1392 0017-18 (Aerial Photograph). SDO13683.

<6> Royal Air Force, 18-FEB-1970, RAF 58/0254 0022 (Aerial Photograph). SDO13680.

<7> Dorset County Council, 2002, VAP (Aerial Photograph). SDO13141.

<8> Historic England, Historic England Archive, AF00137 (Index). SDO14738.

A large scale archaeological survey and investigation of Corfe Common was commissioned by the National Trust to provide detailed information to aid future management and conservation decisions. The common is a unique landscape, an SSSI entirely enclosed by cultivated land, which incorporates an impressive variety of relatively undisturbed archaeological features. The analytical investigation was undertaken by staff from the English Heritage Exeter Office in the Spring of 2003.Background AutoCAD files stored on CD03001: 'Plan.dwg' and '1to10000plan.dwg'.

<9> National Record of the Historic Environment, 456856 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Aug 18 2023 4:20PM