Scheduled MonumentsEnglandField system in Valley of Stones (including earthwork N of Crow Hill)

Field system in Valley of Stones (including earthwork N of Crow Hill)

England
List entry 1002431
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1002431
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
79.89 hectares
Grid reference
SY 59548 88549, SY 59691 87726
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic England (NHLE)

Overview

History & significance

Field system in Valley of Stones is a complex of prehistoric agricultural earthworks situated in the chalk downland of Dorset, forming part of the extensive field systems that characterise the Neolithic and Bronze Age landscape of this region. The system comprises linear banks and lynchets distributed across the valley, including an earthwork of archaeological significance located north of Crow Hill, which represents the organised division and management of arable and pastoral land during the second and early first millennia before the Common Era. These field boundaries, created through the accumulation of soil and stone cleared from cultivation plots, demonstrate the development of more intensive and structured farming practices across the chalk downlands during the prehistoric period. The survival of these earthworks as upstanding features provides important evidence for understanding settlement patterns, land use, and agricultural economy in prehistoric Dorset.

Field system in Valley of Stones (including earthwork N of Crow Hill) is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1002431. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Field system in Valley of Stones (including earthwork N of Crow Hill)?

Field system in Valley of Stones is a complex of prehistoric agricultural earthworks situated in the chalk downland of Dorset, forming part of the extensive field systems that characterise the Neolithic and Bronze Age landscape of this region. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1002431.

Who is responsible for protecting Field system in Valley of Stones (including earthwork N of Crow Hill)?

Field system in Valley of Stones (including earthwork N of Crow Hill) is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1002431.

What other scheduled monuments are near Field system in Valley of Stones (including earthwork N of Crow Hill)?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Round barrow E of The Buildings (3.3 km), Two fishponds in Oddens Wood (3.9 km), St Peter's Abbey (3.9 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Field system in Valley of Stones (including earthwork N of Crow Hill)

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Field system in Valley of Stones (including earthwork N of Crow Hill)'s history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Field system in Valley of Stones (including earthwork N of Crow Hill)

Field system in Valley of Stones (including earthwork N of Crow Hill) stands on White Chalk Subgroup, bedrock that formed in the Maastrichtian. The rock here is chalk.