Monument record MDO25285 - Prehistoric field system on Ridgeway Hill, Weymouth

Cropmark remains of an Iron Age or Roman field system are visible on aerial photographs {1}. The site was digitally plotted for the South Dorset Ridgeway Mapping Project.

Bincombe Tunnel (SY 673855) - in Brincombe and Weymouth parishes. 'Celtic' fields are clearly seen only N.E. of the S. tunnel entrance on the S. shoulder of the chalk ridge about 400 ft. above O.D. Two complete fields are 88 yds. by 40 yds. Lynchets are generally about 3 ft. high, occasionally 5 ft. Very faint remains over about 20 acres continue N. over the crest. One air phtotgraph, by Major G. W. G. Allen (Ashmolean Museum, No. 154), shows round barrows at 'Celtic' field angles. <1>

The only visible remains of the Celtic field system are two lynchets forming a field angle centred at SY 67318552, one 10.0m wide and 2.0m high for a distance of 50.0m (west facing) and the other 5.0m wide and 1.0m high for a distance of 25.0m (south facing), on the west of a steep slope. Elsewhere the field boundaries have been destroyed by ploughing. Surveyed for AO records only on 1:10000 field sheet. <2>

An RCHME level 3 air photographic interpretation project (Event UID 932322) was carried out on this monument in October 1993. The changes noted were as follows. The two main lynchets above the tunnel mouth are clearly visible as earthworks, but vague traces of further extent are discernable as soil marks in the fields to the east and north. The archive produced by this project (Collection UID 932274) is held by the RCHME. <3>

Cropmark remains of an Iron Age or Roman field system are visible on aerial photographs <4>. The site was digitally plotted for the South Dorset Ridgeway 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, 627 (Monograph). SDO150.

<2> Barton, J G, Various, Field Investigators Comments JGB, F1 JGB 02-FEB-80 (Unpublished document). SDO11900.

<3> RCHME/EH/HE Aerial Photographers comment, Simon Crutchley/01-OCT-1993 (Unpublished document). SDO20285.

RCHME: A354 Dorchester to Weymouth Project

<4> 26-MAR-1968, NMR SY6785/4 (Aerial Photograph). SDO11846.

<5> Historic England, Historic England Archive, AF0932274 (Index). SDO14738.

RCHME: A354 Dorchester to Weymouth Project, Dorset. Wessex Archaeology requested RCHME Swindon Air Photography Unit, in 1994, to prepare a transcription of the Bronze Age bell and bowl barrows, and the Iron Age and Roman field system, prior to a road building programme.Contents : AP transcription, report, correspondence, project specification, research and miscellaneous materialCondition : SATISFACTORY

<5.1> Historic England, Historic England Archive, 997988 (Index). SDO14738.

A354 Dorchester to Weymouth/ink AP transcription

<5.2> Historic England, Historic England Archive, 997989 (Index). SDO14738.

A354 Dorchester to Weymouth/AP report

<6> National Record of the Historic Environment, 452211 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Nov 13 2023 5:02PM