Monument record MDO6673 - Prehistoric field system on West Hill

Fragmentary remains of a prehistoric or Roman field system are visible as low earthworks on aerial photographs on West Hill. Possibly associated with settlement remains.

(Centred SY 706848) Field System taken from air photograph. <1>

At A - SY 70388450 - field banks and lynchets, at a maximum height of 0.7m., form rectilinear fields and to the east two low lynchets extend round the hillside to the east at a slight angle to the contour.

At B - SY 705849. No trace of the field system is visible on fairly flat land under the plough. Iron Age/Romano-British type field system. <2>

West Hill, (SY 703845-710848), in the north east of Weymouth parish, comprises incomplete 'Celtic' field remains over about 11 acres between 350ft. and 450 ft. above O.D. on a south-facing spur and above the valley head east of it, where round barrows Weymouth (SY 78 SW 24) are at 'Celtic' field angles. Re-ploughing at some unknown date has broken down former field divisions. <3>

The field system centred at SY 705845, which covers an area of 1.5 ha., is as described by RCHM <3>. The system further north ('B' of authority 2) has been ploughed out. Area defined on 1:10 560 Record Sheet. <4>

Fragmentary remains of a prehistoric or Roman field system are visible as low earthworks on aerial photographs on West Hill <6>. A number of circular features are visible lying within the fields which may be natural fungus rings or the remains of hut circles. The site was digitally plotted during the South Dorset Ridgeway Mapping Project.

<1> Atkinson, R J C, 1949, spec 6 inch (RJCA 1.3.49) (Map). SWX1583.

<2> Swatridge, G C, Various, Field Investigators Comments GCS, F1 GCS 30-DEC-54 (Unpublished document). SWX1169.

<3> 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.

<3.1> Royal Air Force, RAF/CPE/UK/1821 6442-4 (Aerial Photograph). SDO19556.

<4> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, Externally held archive: RCH01/093 RCHME Inventory: Dorset II (South-East) (Unpublished document). SDO17434.

<5> Barton, J G, Various, Field Investigators Comments JGB, F2 JGB 27-JUN-80 (Unpublished document). SDO11900.

<6> Royal Air Force, 04-NOV-1946, RAF/CPE/UK/1824 3284-5 (Aerial Photograph). SDO11747.

<7> National Record of the Historic Environment, 454346 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Feb 27 2023 3:01PM