Summary

Lynchets, 250m north west of Wharton Hall.

Source: Historic England

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.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

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.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
PastScape Monument No:- 14653

Source: Historic England