Monument record MDO1345 - Medieval fishpond, Leigh

A probable medieval fishpond visible as an earthwork measuring 190 metres in length, decreasing in width from 50m to 20m. It has two earthern dams and a modern breach in the centre. It is enclosed by a massive earthern bank averaging 14m wide and modern drainage lines are visible across the bottom of the pond area. The feature is visible as earthworks on aerial photographs and on current lidar imagery.

A probable Medieval fish-pond located by OS Surveyor S Eyre of SW 07 P (Yeovil); it is situated in pasture at the bottom of a shallow north-south valley, and is bordered on the east side by a strong deeply-cut stream.

The pond, now dry, is about 190.0m in length and decreases in width southward, from 50.0m to 20.0m. At the north end is the fragmentary remains of an earthen dam up to 1.5m high and 8.0m wide, it is now water eroded and overgrown. Some 40.0m to the south is another well preserved and apparently later dam, 10.0m wide and up to 1.3m high on the north side. A breach 2.5m wide in the centre appears to be modern; there is no evidence of a stone-lined sluice at this point. Spillways, are suggested by a levelling of the bank profile at both ends. The whole of the east side of the pond-bay is enclosed by a massive earthen bank, average 14.0m wide; 1.4m high internally and 1.2m high externally; it fades out at the south end to about 0.5m high at which point the stream-feeder originally entered. Natural slopes contain the west side and the original surface limit of water appears to be represented by the course of an old and broken field bank up to 0.5m high. Modern herring-bone drainage lines are visible across the bottom of the pond area.

Poorly defined on OS large scale AP's. Surveyed at 1:2500 on MSD. <1>

The feature is clearly visible on a 1947 aerial photograph, which shows the two banked dams in the northern section, both with modern breaches in their centres, a curvilinear eastern bank follows the stream edge. The 1947 aerial photograph suggests a possible channel leading east to the stream and further possible short sections of bank which might form small dams across it. A further ditched earthwork is visible to the northeast, on the far side of the stream. The west side of the feature is visible as a low narrow bank on both the 1947 aerial photograph and lidar, possibly a field boundary but not shown on OS historic mapping. Within the feature are modern drainage ditches. The feature survives well on a 1972 aerial photograph and still on lidar imagery. The northern and eastern sections of the feature are under tree cover on current Google Earth imagery (RAF 1947; DC 1972; EA 2022; GE 2025).

Google Earth, 16-04-2025, Google Earth Imagery 2025 (Aerial Photograph). SDO21533.

Environment Agency, 2022, LiDAR Composite Viewer - Digital Terrain Model 1m (Aerial Photograph). SDO21777.

Royal Air Force, xx-xxx-1947, RAF VAP 2431-4366 (Aerial Photograph). SDO21981.

Dorset Council, xx-xxx-1972, VAP 432/23 (Aerial Photograph). SDO21978.

<1> Stone, J W, Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Field Investigator's Comments JWS, F1 JWS 16-DEC-77 (Unpublished document). SDO11902.

<1.1> Ordnance Survey, OS 74/087/067 (Aerial Photograph). SDO13183.

<2> Historic England, National Record of the Historic Environment, 198861 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Oct 8 2026 4:22PM