Monument record MDO7542 - Prehistoric field system on Kingston Down, Corfe Castle

Field System (see air photo on illustration card). <1>

SY 957781. `Celtic' fields, many fragmentary, cover about 150 acres of plateau and valley S. of Kingston and formerly extended in all directions except, possibly, S.; an isolated block survives at SY 972781. N. of Worth Matravers village. They lie between 200ft. and 450ft. above O.D. on Portland Stone, Sand and Clay. The best preserved, though disturbed, are on the top and W. side of the plateau spur 1 mile S. of Kingston village, beyond the limits of the open fields. Here they are associated with two neighbouring settlements (SY 97 NE 62 & 63). Three other settlements sites (SY 97 NE 25, 26 & 35) lie in the areas of destroyed fields peripheral to the group. Surface finds indicate an Iron Age or Romano-British date. Settlement features and fields are generally marked on the spur top by stone-packed banks and lynchets. The banks, possibly tumbled walls, are up to 2ft. high and 12ft. wide. Curved sides suggest settlement features extending into the fields and make it difficult to see the bounds of the settlements. The enclosure with bowed sides (a), 340 yards. S.S.W. of the nucleus of (SY 97 NE 63), is apparently separated from it by fields and itself closer to a narrow rather broken, terraced area (b), which runs across the `funnel' end of a track from settlement (SY 97 NE 62). Two contemporary tracks lead from (SY 97 NE 62), the track just mentioned, 6ft. wide and mostly of double-lynchet form with scarps up to 4ft. high above and below, and a terraceway, 5ft wide, running S.W. diagonally downhill for 250 yds. before disappearing in a area of landslip. A continuous run of field sides, with lynchets dropping as much as 4 1/2ft. E. extends from N. from the bend in the double-lynchet track past the nucleus of settlement (SY 97 NE 63) and may have been a boundary separating its territory from that of (SY 97 NE 62). Ridge and furrow up to 11 yds. wide, as well traces of narrow rig, covers large areas N.E. of the group. It is also clear in the `Celtic' fields, as N.W. of settlement (SY 97 NE 63) where sides appear to have been removed to form long fields. The more extensive destruction on the E. half of the spur top has left no sign of ridge-and-furrow. Elsewhere, re-ploughing is occasionally marked by secondary lynchets, as at 96117803 in Worth Matravers parish where the `Celtic' fields have been generally much altered. Some thirteen fields appear to be undisturbed. Five on the main spur top, are all less than twice as long as broad and from under 1/2 acre to nearly 1 acre in area. A number of broken fields have sides the lengths of which are multiples of 40 yds. On the W. side of the spur, where fields lie on the maximum slope of about 21o, eight fields include four between 1/4 acre and 1/2 acre and none more than 3/4 acre. <4>

The site was surveyed by staff of RCHME during June 1993, for further information see archive report. <5>

<1> Atkinson, R J C, 1943, Annotated Record Map Spec 6 (R J C Atkinson 1 3 43) (Map). SWX2733.

<2> Bowen, H C, 1961, Ancient Fields : a Tentative Analysis of Vanishing Earthworks and Landscapes, p35-6. Plate(s) 3 (Monograph). SWX8219.

<3> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 6in, 1963 (Map). SWX1540.

(Centred SY 957780) Field System (NR)

<4> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 3, 630 (Monograph). SDO150.

'GROUP (23): KINGSTON DOWN (SY 97 NE; 957781; Fig. p. 631, Plate 235), Corfe Castle and Worth Matravers. 'Celtic' fields, many fragmentary, cover about 150 acres of plateau and valley S. of Kingston and formerly extended in all directions except, possibly, S.; an isolated block survives at 972781, N. of Worth Matravers village (Fig. p. 414). They lie between 200 ft. and 450 ft. above O.D. on Portland Stone, Sand and Clay. The best preserved, though disturbed, are on the top and W. side of the plateau spur 1 mile S. of Kingston village, beyond the limits of the open fields. Here they are associated with two neighbouring settlements (Corfe Castle (221–2), Figs. p. 510). Three other settlement sites (Roman section, Corfe Castle (237–9)) lie in areas of destroyed fields peripheral to the group. Surface finds indicate an Iron Age or Romano-British date.
Settlement features and fields are generally marked on the spur top by stone-packed banks and lynchets. The banks, possibly tumbled walls, are up to 2 ft. high and 12 ft. wide. Curved sides suggest settlement features extending into the fields and make it difficult to see the bounds of the settlements. The enclosure with bowed sides (a), 340 yds. S.S.W. of the nucleus of (221), is apparently separated from it by fields and is itself closer to a narrow, rather broken, terraced area (b), which runs across the 'funnel' end of a track from settlement (222). Excluding this area, (221) covered nearly 6 acres and (222) nearly 5 acres.
Two contemporary tracks lead from (222): the track just mentioned, 6 ft. wide and mostly of double-lynchet form with scarps up to 4 ft. high above and below, and a terraceway, 15 ft. wide, running S.W. diagonally downhill for 250 yds. before disappearing in an area of landslip.
A continuous run of field sides, with lynchets dropping as much as 4½ ft. E., extends N. from the bend in the doublelynchet track past the nucleus of settlement (221) and may have been a boundary separating its territory from that of (222) (cf. H.C. Bowen, Ancient Fields (1961), 35–6 and plate III).
Ridge-and-furrow up to 11 yds. wide, as well as traces of narrow rig, covers large areas N.E. of the group. It is also clear in the 'Celtic' fields, as N.W. of settlement (221) where sides appear to have been removed to form long fields. The more extensive destruction on the E. half of the spur top has left no sign of ridge-and-furrow. Elsewhere, re-ploughing is occasionally marked by secondary lynchets, as at 96117803 in Worth Matravers parish where the 'Celtic' fields have been generally much altered.
Some thirteen fields appear to be undisturbed. Five, on the main spur top, are all less than twice as long as broad and from under ½ acre to nearly 1 acre in area. A number of broken fields have sides the lengths of which are multiples of 40 yds. On the W. side of the spur, where fields lie on the maximum slope of about 21°, eight fields include four between ¼ acre and ½ acre and none more than ¾ acre.'

<5> McOmish, D and Donachie, J, 1993, Field Investigators Comments: RCHME Field Investigation., 21-25-JUN-1993 (Unpublished document). SWX2735.

<6> Historic England, Historic England Archive, 929529 (Index). SDO14738.

Kingston Down Celtic field system/pencil survey

<7> Historic England, Historic England Archive, 929762 (Index). SDO14738.

Kingston Down, Westhill Farm/pencil survey

<8> Historic England, Historic England Archive, 929765 (Index). SDO14738.

Kingston Down, Westhill Farm/pencil survey

<9> Historic England, Historic England Archive, 929767 (Index). SDO14738.

Kingston Down, Westhill Farm/pencil survey

<10> Historic England, Historic England Archive, AF0929511 (Index). SDO14738.

RCHME: Kingston Down, Westhill Farm, Dorset. The survey of the Romano-British settlement was carried out by RCHME Salisbury and Southampton University in June 1993, as a training excercise.Contents : 4 plansCondition : INTACT

<11> Historic England, Historic England Archive, BB71/11605 (Index). SDO14738.

LOOKING NORTH EAST AT WEST SIDE OF SPUR (HOUNS TOUT DAM)

<12> Historic England, Historic England Archive, BB71/11607 (Index). SDO14738.

LOOKING NORTH EAST AT WEST SIDE

<13> Historic England, Historic England Archive, BB72/03701 (Index). SDO14738.

CELTIC FIELDS ON W SIDE OF SPUR (GROUP 23) AT HOUNS TOUT DAM VIEW FROM SOUTH WEST

<14> Historic England, Historic England Archive, BB72/03727 (Index). SDO14738.

CELTIC FIELDS ON WEST SIDE OF SPUR (GROUP 23) VIEW FROM S W

<15> Historic England, Historic England Archive, BB72/03728A (Index). SDO14738.

PLAN OF CELTIC FIELDS AND SETTLEMENT REMAINS (GROUP 23)

<16> Historic England, Historic England Archive, BB72/03728B (Index). SDO14738.

PLAN OF RB SETTLEMENT (SY97NE50)

<17> Historic England, Historic England Archive, BB72/03728C (Index). SDO14738.

PLAN OF RB SETTLEMENT (SY97NE63)

<18> Historic England, Historic England Archive, P44889 (Index). SDO14738.

CELTIC FIELDS,VIEW N.N.E. FROM HOUNSTOUT

<19> Historic England, Historic England Archive, P44890 (Index). SDO14738.

CELTIC FIELDS,VIEW N.E. FROM HOUNSTOUT

<20> Historic England, Historic England Archive, P44891 (Index). SDO14738.

GROUND VIEW,FROM S.W.,SHOWING CELTIC FIELDS ON W.SIDE OF SPUR

<21> National Record of the Historic Environment, 456431 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Jan 20 2025 1:21PM