Scheduled Monuments›England›Field system on Codford Down

Field system on Codford Down

England
List entry 1017303
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1017303
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
35.1 hectares
Grid reference
ST 96674 42748
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Field system on Codford Down is a prehistoric agricultural landscape consisting of a series of lynchets and field boundaries that survive as earthworks on the chalk downland near Codford in Wiltshire. The system dates to the Iron Age and represents an important example of ancient arable farming practice on the Wiltshire chalk, demonstrating the division and management of agricultural land during the pre-Roman period. The field boundaries are visible as low banks and terraces created by the accumulated soil from ploughing, which over time produced the characteristic lyncheted appearance across the slope. This monument provides valuable evidence for understanding settlement patterns and subsistence strategies in prehistoric Wessex.

Field system on Codford Down is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1017303. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Field system on Codford Down?

Field system on Codford Down is a prehistoric agricultural landscape consisting of a series of lynchets and field boundaries that survive as earthworks on the chalk downland near Codford in Wiltshire. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1017303.

Who is responsible for protecting Field system on Codford Down?

Field system on Codford Down 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 1017303.

What other scheduled monuments are near Field system on Codford Down?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Queen's barrow: a bowl barrow in Queen's Barrow Plantation (5.9 km), Romano-British village N of Stockton Wood (6.6 km), Earthwork enclosure in Great Ridge wood, 350m north east of Point Pond (7.3 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Field system on Codford Down

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Field system on Codford Down'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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Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Queen's barrow: a bowl barrow in Queen's Barrow Plantation
5.9 km
Romano-British village N of Stockton Wood
6.6 km
Earthwork enclosure in Great Ridge wood, 350m north east of Point Pond
7.3 km
Field system on Wylye Down
7.7 km
Scrubbed Oak enclosure and linear boundary earthwork
7.7 km
Bowl barrow 540m north of Woodbine Barn
7.7 km
Bowl barrow in High Park on south facing slope of Fonthill Down
7.9 km
Bilbury Rings
8 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Field system on Codford Down

Field system on Codford Down stands on White Chalk Subgroup, bedrock that formed in the Maastrichtian. The rock here is chalk.

The wider landscape

Around Field system on Codford Down

StonehengeArchaeological site · ~9.7 milesOld SarumArchaeological site · ~12.2 milesWest Kennet Long BarrowArchaeological site · ~17.5 milesSilbury HillArchaeological site · ~18.1 milesBattle of Roundway Down 1643Battle (1643) · ~14.3 milesBattle of Lansdown (Hill) 1643Battle (1643) · ~22.6 milesBattle of LansdowneBattle (1643) · ~22.8 miles
Domesday entry for Ashton, Wiltshire →
All Scheduled Monuments