Monument record MDO7149 - Ridge and furrow and sheep fair on Woodbury Hill, Bere Regis

Earthworks of ridge and furrow, the remains of medieval strip fields, in an area associated with the annual sheep fair held on Woodbury from medieval times to the early part of the twentieth century.

<1> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 3 (Monograph). SDO150.

‘(118) WOODBURY (SY 89 SE; 856948) is a contour hill-fort which occupies the entire flat top of the gravel capped spur called Woodbury Hill ... On the N.W. there is a sloping shelf between the ramparts and the steep face of the hill. On this shelf is a series of rather flat-topped parallel ridges 3 ft. high, 10 yds. or so wide. These are more likely to be connected with the annual sheep fairs once held in the hill-fort (Hutchins I, 135) than with agriculture. ...’

Record last edited

Jun 27 2023 2:20PM