Monument record MDO40811 - Historic cultivation marks, Merry Field Hill, Colehill

An area of ridged cultivation marks on Merry Field Hill, Colehill, is visible on 1940s aerial photographs. The features may be those of post medieval narrow ridge and furrow, although an earlier origin is possible. The features were digitally plotted by the Dorset Stour NMP project.

An area of ridged cultivation marks on Merry Field Hill, Colehill, is visible on 1940s aerial photographs (1).

The features are very faint but appear to comprise parallel ridges set broadly around 4.5m apart with 2m wide ditches in between. The features occupy a large irregular historic enclosure recorded on the OS 1st Edition map, whose boundaries are likely to be predominantly medieval in origin (2). The features are thought likely to be those of post medieval narrow ridge and furrow, although an earlier origin is possible - they are potentially overlain by field boundaries or trackways (MDO40812) of possible medieval or post medieval date, although that relationship is not clearly distinguished.

The site is still within fields whose boundaries have seen significant change and/or removal since the 1940s. The features are no longer visible on current Google Earth imagery. They were digitally plotted by the Dorset Stour NMP project.

<1> Royal Air Force, 12-DEC-46, RAF/CPE/UK/1893 RS 4104-5 (Aerial Photograph). SDO15911.

<2> Ordnance Survey, 1864, 1886, Ordnance Survey 25-inch map, epoch one (Map). SDO10239.

Record last edited

Aug 22 2024 5:00PM