Lynchet

Lynchet
Lynchet system near Bishopstone in Wiltshire.
The slope of a prehistoric lynchet at West Dean, West Sussex.

A lynchet is a bank of earth that builds up on the downslope of a field ploughed over a long period of time.[1] The disturbed soil slips down the hillside to create a positive lynchet while the area reduced in level becomes a negative lynchet. They are also referred to as strip lynchets.

They are a feature of ancient field systems such as the Celtic fields of the British Isles. Some believe that they were passively formed under the long-term action of gravity and weathering on the loosened soil of a ploughed slope, while others believe they may have been intentionally formed, to prevent erosion and slippage of the ploughed slope.

The word is the diminutive form of lynch, now rarely appearing in the English language, indicating an agricultural terrace.

See also

References

  1. ^ "National Monuments Record Thesauri". English Heritage. http://thesaurus.english-heritage.org.uk/thesaurus_term.asp?thes_no=1&term_no=68626. Retrieved 14 April 2010. 

External links

Media related to Lynchets at Wikimedia Commons


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Lynchet — ♦ A bank formed by ploughing for a long period on a slope where a field has a fixed boundary, such as hedge or fence. On the upper side, soil moves down to form a positive lynchet against the boundary while below it the soil is cut away to form a …   Medieval glossary

  • lynchet — noun a bank of earth that slowly builds up on the lower slope of a ploughed field; a feature of ancient field systems …   Wiktionary

  • Lynchet — The strip of unploughed land between two fields; the terracing on sloping land. [< OldEngl. linc = rising land] Cf. Baulk; Butt2 …   Dictionary of Medieval Terms and Phrases

  • lynchet — [ lɪn(t)ʃɪt] noun a ridge or ledge formed along the downhill side of a plot by ploughing in ancient times. Origin C17: prob. from dialect linch rising ground ; cf. links …   English new terms dictionary

  • lynchet — lyn·chet …   English syllables

  • lynchet — n. (in the UK) a ridge or ledge formed by ancient ploughing on a slope. Etymology: linch f. OE hlinc: cf. LINKS …   Useful english dictionary

  • Craven — For other uses, see Craven (disambiguation). Craven   District   View of south Settle from Castlebergh …   Wikipedia

  • Hawridge — Infobox UK place| official name= Hawridge country= England region= South East England static area total sq mi= population= population density= os grid reference= SP950060 latitude= 51.7449 longitude= 0.6248 post town= Chesham postcode district =… …   Wikipedia

  • Feature (archaeology) — Feature in archaeology and especially excavation has several different but allied meanings. A feature is a collection of one or more contexts representing some human non portable activity that generally has a vertical characteristic to it in… …   Wikipedia

  • Ham Hill, Somerset — Infobox Mountain Name = Ham Hill Photo = Stoke under ham hill.jpg Caption = Ham Hill summit and war memorial seen from Stoke sub Hamdon Elevation = c. 125 m ( c. 410 ft) Location = Somerset, England Range = Prominence = < 5 m Coordinates =… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”