Monument record MDO41281 - Possible medieval field boundaries, Hampreston, Ferndown Town

Banked linear features to the northeast of Hampreston are faintly visible as cropmarks on aerial photographs. The features may be historic field boundaries of possible medieval date, although a later origin is also possible. They were digitally plotted by the Dorset Stour NMP project.

Banked linear features to the northeast of Hampreston are faintly visible as cropmarks on aerial photographs (1).

The features comprise wide slightly curvilinear banks situatd within two large irregular historic enclosures recorded on the OS 1st Edition map. The external boundaries of these two enclosures are probably medieval in origin and may originally have been part of a larger area of medieval enclosure to the northeast of Hampreston (possibly medieval open field?) that was divided into two at some point during the post medieval period (2). The features run broadly southeast to northwest across both enclosures; possibly underlying the central post medieval field boundary, although this is not certain. A further banked linear feature (MDO41282) in the easternmost enclosure appears to overlie these, presumably earlier features, on a southwest to northeast alignment.

The features may be historic field boundaries of possible medieval date, possibly divisions within an area of former medieval strip field. A later origin is also possible, however.

The site is still fields on current Google Earth imagery but the features are not visible. They were digitally plotted by the Dorset Stour NMP.

<1> Ordnance Survey, 20-MAY-74, OS/74071/V/027-8 (Aerial Photograph). SDO16088.

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

Record last edited

Jul 23 2018 11:16AM