Monument record MDO790 - Prehistoric field system at Bushy Eweleaze, Forston and Cowdon Hill, Charminster

An extensive complex of prehistoric field systems. Most of the remains are slight or plough-affected, and the fields continue into Piddletrenthide and Piddlehinton parishes.

(Centred SY 6897) 'Celtic' fields are traceable over 800 acres within the area Bushy Eweleaze, Forston (SY 673957) and Cowdon Hill (670974), both in Charminster parish; College Down (687992) in Piddletrenthide parish; and Combe Bottom (705970) in Piddlehinton parish. Most of these remains are very slight, but 190 acres of fields, though very incomplete and almost all affected by later ploughing, were surveyed on Well Bottom Down, Piddletrenthide, and adjacent area to the SW in Charminster and another to the W in Nether Cerne, containing a Romano-British settlement (SY 69 NE 25 - At SY 682985), and a small D-shaped enclosure (SY 69 NE 57 at SY 68179875). To the S, the group was contiguous with 'Celtic' fields at about 700967. The fields lie between 350ft and 650 ft OD on the N-S Chalk ridge between rivers Cerne and Piddle, the spurs E and W of it and the re-entrants separating them. Gravel, clay and sand lie over the Chalk in the area of 'Celtic' fields N and W of settlement.

There are many small quarries in the area and 1300 yds S in Charminster, about 684975. Some quarries are cut into and along lynchet faces.

Over a mile SSE, two destroyed earthworks lie in close but indeterminable relationship to 'Celtic' fields. These are the rectangular enclosure (SY 69 NE 26) and 1000 yds NW of it, in the NW corner of the same parish, at 68959705, an ovoid feature (SY 69 NE 47). The fields as a whole are on gentle slopes, facing all directions, lynchets being up to 8 ft high. An exposed lynchet section SW of (SY 69 NE 25) showed the positive element, almost 6ft high, to consist entirely of sandy, clayey ploughsoil with abundant flints. The few surviving complete fields suggest proportions from square to 2:1 and sizes from 1/3 acre to 1 acre.
The apparent long fields W of (a) were produced by the overploughing of cross-lynchets N to S leaving traces of broad-rig earlier than the present enclosure pattern. In the area SSW of this there was abundant narrow-rig.

Area of fields plotted from RAF air photographs.<2-3>

This extensive 'Celtic' field system still survives but severely reduced by ploughing with many of the lynchets smoothed and spread (up to 14.0m wide and 0.6m high). The fields in Well Bottom Down are almost entirely destroyed. <4>

<1> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume III (Central) Part 2, 322-324 (Monograph). SDO136.

<1.1> Cambridge University Collection of Aerial Photography, AND 8-9 ANF 51 (Aerial Photograph). SDO19980.

<2> Royal Air Force, RAF/CPE/UK/1974 1369-72 (Aerial Photograph). SDO19978.

<3> Royal Air Force, RAF/CPE/UK/2475 3116-22 (Aerial Photograph). SDO19979.

<4> Attrill, N J, Field Investigators Comments NJA, F1 NJA 06-JAN-81 (Unpublished document). SDO14743.

<5> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, Externally held archive: RCH01/096 RCHME Inventory: Dorset III (Central) (Unpublished document). SDO17384.

<6> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, Externally held archive: RCH01/088 RCHME Inventory: Dorset I (West) and Revision (Unpublished document). SDO17367.

<7> Historic England, Historic England Archive, 881773 (Index). SDO14738.

RCHME: Celtic Field System (Gp 35) around Cowden Hill, Forston Barn, Rowbarrow Barn, Dorset. One portion of the Celtic Field System.Bibliographic References : 1) Pt 2, part of Celtic Field Group (35) Well Bottom Down.

<8> Historic England, Historic England Archive, 883238 (Index). SDO14738.

RCHME: `Celtic' Fields, Well Bottom Down, Dorset. Publication proof, on acetate, `303' written in pencil on the bottom. Covers the phs of Nether Cerne, Piddletrenthide, Charminster.Bibliographic References : 1) Pt 2, Gp (35) Well Bottom Down.

<9> Historic England, Historic England Archive, 909341 (Index). SDO14738.

RCHME: Celtic Fields System - Nether Cerne, Gedmarstone, and Piddle Valley

<10> National Record of the Historic Environment, 452872 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Nov 13 2024 8:17PM