Monument record MDO7657 - Prehistoric field system from Rings Hill to Povington Hill, East Lulworth and Tyneham

'Celtic' fields within East Lulworth and Tyneham Parishes, covering approximately 100 acres. However, ploughing has destroyed all but a few lynchets. <1>

<1> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 3, 629 (Monograph). SDO150.

'GROUP (17): RINGS HILL TO POVINGTON HILL (SY 88 SE; 859807–885812), in East Lulworth and Tyneham parishes. 'Celtic' fields appear on about 100 acres of the N. slope of the W. end of the Purbeck Hills. In addition, isolated and slight scarps occur on the corresponding S. slope. Almost all are in an area generally inaccessible and very disturbed so that, although extensive, the pattern cannot be worked out in detail. Ploughing of the hill-top, marked in places by narrow rig, has destroyed all but a few lynchets there. The fields are of two types and in two blocks.
(i) Flower's Barrow, immediately N.W. and N.E. of (see Hill-forts, E. Lulworth (40), Plate 215). On a slope of up to 23° are 30 acres with squarish, small fields (some of about ⅓ acre), some irregular, marked by lynchets between about 4 ft. and 10 ft. high and arranged along base-lines which mostly follow the contour. Two 'base-lines' appear to meet Flower's Barrow, one at the N.W. angle, the other at the N.E. angle of the first-phase hill-fort. The fields also extended N. and E. from this latter point to well below the natural shoulder of the ridge.

(ii) Whiteway and Povington Hills. Fields over 20 acres are arranged in regular manner with parallel base-lines 20–40 yds. apart, up and down the slope (Fig. in pocket, Part 2; Plate 233). These are marked by slight banks or lynchets about 1 ft. high, in places running unbroken for at least 170 yds. Apart from some very slight cross-divisions there are some higher lynchets. These may belong partly to earlier fields, since there are indications that this regular pattern has been imposed on fields of the type of block (i). One such field is just outside this block, at 873811. Traces of irregular fields are more clear further E., on Povington Hill, extending over 25 acres but with suggestions of the regular, banked type inserted among them. (R.A.F. V.A.P. CPE/UK 1821: 2421–5; 5425–8.)'

Record last edited

Mar 1 2024 7:43PM