Field system W of Fore Hill
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Scheduled Monument
- List Entry Number:
- 1002866
- Date first listed:
- 01-Jan-1900
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Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Scheduled Monument
- List Entry Number:
- 1002866
- Date first listed:
- 01-Jan-1900
Location
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- District:
- Dorset (Unitary Authority)
- Parish:
- Maiden Newton
- National Grid Reference:
- SY 60323 97682
Summary
Medieval strip field system 470m north of Combe Side.
Reasons for Designation
The distinctive strip fields were produced by areas of unploughed land being left between allotments and the shape was determined by the action of ploughing which always turned the soil to the right and thus produced an undulating S-shape. The size of the strips was roughly an acre (0.405ha) which represented a days’ work with a plough and the length was determined by the distance an ox team could plough before needing a rest, a furlong (201.2m). On steeper slopes the action of ploughing led to the creation of distinctive terraces where the cultivated field began to become more level and the terraces were defined by those areas not cultivated which created steeply sided platforms.
Despite the activity of burrowing animals the medieval strip field system 470m north of Combe Side survives well and is clearly visible as an element of the landscape. The monument will contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to its construction, development, agricultural practices, social significance and overall landscape context.
History
See Details.
Details
This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 28 January 2016. The record has been generated from an "old county number" (OCN) scheduling record. These are monuments that were not reviewed under the Monuments Protection Programme and are some of our oldest designation records.
The monument includes part of a medieval strip field system situated on the relatively steep west facing slopes of the valley of the River Frome overlooking the settlement of Maiden Newton. The field system survives as a series of cultivation terraces levelled into the hillside and defined by lynchets of up to 2.5m high which form roughly rectangular strips of up to 9m wide.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- DO 501
- Legacy System:
- RSM - OCN
Sources
Other
PastScape Monument No:-453028
Legal
This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 10-Jul-2026 at 01:53:17.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.