Monument record MDO41203 - Possible medieval field boundary, Dunyeat's Hill, Poole

A ditched curvilinear feature on the open heath of Dunyeat's Hill is visible on 1940s aerial photographs. The feature is presumed to be a historic field boundary of possible medieval date, although a later origin is possible. It was digitally plotted by the Dorset Stour NMP project.

A ditched curvilinear feature on the open heath of Dunyeat's Hill is visible on 1940s aerial photographs (1).

The feature comprises a curvilinear ditch that corresponds with the ends of two historic field boundaries recorded on the OS 1st Edition map, whose curvilinear form may indicate a medieval origin (2). The feature effectively joins between these two boundary ends to form an irregular historic enclosure with sinuous boundary lines.

The feature is presumed to be a historic field boundary of possible medieval date, although a later origin is possible. The enclosure is one of several noted on the margins of the heathland in this area. Their sinuous form is indicative of possible late medieval to post medieval intake that may have been relatively fluid dependent on pressures for available land. The enclosures may be later in origin, however, although a more regular form might be expected in this case.

The site is still open heath on current Google Earth imagery. The feature is still faintly visible under scrubby vegetation. It was digitally plotted by the Dorset Stour NMP.

<1> Royal Air Force, 12-DEC-46, RAF/CPE/UK/1893 RP 3253-4 (Aerial Photograph). SDO16027.

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

Record last edited

Jan 6 2020 10:44AM