Details

The monument comprises four lynchets or cultivation terraces forming part of a
medieval field system set on the steep north facing slope of Court Hill, a
chalk promontory overlooking the Wylye Valley.
The lynchets are 11m wide consisting of a scarp or riser up to 1.5m high and a
flat platform or tread. They are orientated approximately east to west along
the slope.
The uppermost lynchet is 366m long. To the west it forms the northern boundary
of a small plantation, while to the east it is topped by the fenceline of a
field to the south. The second lynchet below this is 280m long. To the west it
ends at the line of a hollow way which runs up the slope at an angle for a
length of 130m. This is thought to be the track from which the fields were
reached. The third lynchet which is 200m long, also abutts the hollow way to
the west and joins the second lynchet to the east. The fourth and lowest
lynchet is 173m long and almost at the bottom of the slope.
The fields are shown as individual plots on a 1749 map of the estate of the
Viscount of Weymouth.
All fenceposts and cattle troughs are excluded from the scheduling, although
the ground beneath these features is included.

MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

Lynchets provide distinctive traces of medieval and earlier agricultural
activities in downland areas, indicating the level of intensity of land use
and farming practices through time. They are formed as a result of ploughing
on steep valley sides, often adjacent to extensive areas of ridge and furrow
on flat land.
The lynchets to the west of Kingston Dairy represent a well preserved set of
medieval fields illustrating the intensity of land use at this time. They are
well documented, appearing on a mid-18th century map, and will contain
archaeological and environmental evidence relating to the fields and their
surrounding landscape.

Source: Historic England