Monument record MDO2624 - Prehistoric field system, Sydling St Nicholas

Linear and curvilinear banked and ditched features associated with an extensive Iron Age/Romano-British field system are visible as earthworks and cropmarks on aerial photographs on Row Hill, Sydling St Nicholas. The features were digitally plotted during the Dorset Upper Frome AIM project.

Earthwork remains of a field system of probable Iron Age/Roman date are visible centred at approximately ST 6296 0251 on aerial photographs. The full extent of the field system could not be seen on the available photograph. The earthwork remains of banks could be seen on the western slope of Row Hill, appearing to form rectangular fields. On the adjacent hill to the north-west of these a large field system can be seen (recorded in UID 199204) which could be part of the same system. These features are visible on aerial photographs take by English Heritage in 2006 as part of the Reconnaissance Recording Programme. <2>

Linear and curvilinear banked and ditched features associated with an extensive Iron Age/Romano-British field system are visible as earthworks and cropmarks on aerial photographs on Row Hill, Sydling St Nicholas <3-6>. The features comprise a series of irregular enclosures, lynchets and possibly associated trackways that extend across Row Hill and Redpost Hill, covering an approximate area of around 1250m by 1070m. Some narrow linear lynchets along the base of East Hill may alternatively be of medieval origin, representing medieval strip lynchets. The features were digitally plotted during the Dorset Upper Frome AIM project.

The features are still variously visible as earthworks and cropmarks on Google Earth imagery.

<1> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments England, 1952, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume I (West), 236 (Monograph). SDO97.

'(35) Celtic Field-Systems have left remains in various places in the N. and W. half of the parish, particularly on East Hill, Row Hill, Wardon Hill, Combe Hill, Break Heart Hill, Peak End Hill, Ayles's Hill and South Field Hill.'

<2> National Monuments Record, 06-DEC-2006, NMR ST 6202/10 NMR 24497/04 (Aerial Photograph). SDO18909.

<3> Royal Air Force, 11-APR-47, RAF/CPE/UK/1975 FP 1052-3 (Aerial Photograph). SDO17029.

<4> Royal Air Force, 11-APR-47, RAF/CPE/UK/1974 RS 4377-8 (Aerial Photograph). SDO17062.

<5> Royal Air Force, 11-APR-47, RAF/CPE/UK/1974 RS 4378-9 (Aerial Photograph). SDO17025.

<6> Ordnance Survey, 30-MAY-74, OS/74087 V 077 (Aerial Photograph). SDO17060.

<7> National Record of the Historic Environment, 1506111 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Nov 25 2022 2:10PM