Summary
Lynchets, 250m north west of Wharton Hall.
Reasons for Designation
Strip lynchets provide distinctive indications of medieval cultivation, representing a means to increase the land available for cultivation by the construction of terraces on steep slopes. The fields thus formed were used as a part of the strip tenurial system of medieval land division. They occur widely in southern and south eastern England, and are prominent features on the Wessex chalkland. Each lynchet or terrace has two components, consisting of a scarp or riser and flat strip or tread. They can be up to 600m in length, and whilst many systems include only two or three lynchets, some have five, six or more. The lynchets 250m north west of Wharton Hall are well-preserved as earthworks and will contain archaeological deposits relating to their construction and use. The monument provides insight into agricultural practices during the medieval period.
History
See Details.
Details
This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 29 March 2016. This 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 the remains of a series of lynchets of medieval date, spread around a hill to the north west of Wharton Hall. The group contains eight strip lynchets, which are preserved as earthworks. Further archaeological remains survive in the vicinity of this monument but have not been included as they have not been assessed.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
CU 431
Legacy System:
RSM - OCN
Sources
Other PastScape Monument No:- 14653
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.
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