Monument record MDO1683 - Bingham's Melcombe medieval settlement, Melcombe Horsey

Deserted settlement earthworks identified south of St Andrew's Church. Field investigations carried out in 1955 found them to cover an area of 10 hectares, comprising rectilinear enclosures and trackways separated by a hollow-way extending west to east. Seven rectangular closes, orientated north-south were identified to the north; two had the slight remains of house sites at their southern ends. To the north of the three western closes four level rectangular platforms were set above a wide terrace-way running east-west. To the south of the main hollow-say another terrace-way ran south and then west, fading out to the southwest. It was surrounded by a number of irregular closes bounded by low scarps and banks.

Bingham's Melcombe was formerly a manor and hamlet, though the manor has long been extinguished and the hamlet depopulated. Traces of houses can be seen in a meadow called Town Hayes, south of the church. <1>.
Melcombe Bingham (shrunken village). Church (ST 70 SE 42) and house (ST 70 SE 10) stand alone at ST 775021. Bingham's Melcombe centred at ST 77230215) <2>.

A depopulated village. Banks and scarps in two modern fields south of St Andrew's Church form a pattern of small enclosures of varied shape. Air photographs suggest a deep E-W ditch which runs across the area is of later date. The ditch is now being filled <3>. <2-3>

The field centred at ST 77250201 is known as Town Hayes <4.1>.

Area centred ST 77300192. Grass covered parkland containing rectilinear enclosures formed by pronounced banks and/or ditches and trackways all typical of deserted medieval habituated areas. There are no surface finds and the ditch referred to in Authy. 3 was not detected. <4>

ST 773020. Settlement remains of Bingham's Melcombe (see plan) lie on the W side of the Devil's Brook. The village was one of two in the parish, both now deserted (see also ST 70 SW 38); their populations were always recorded together, and it is impossible to separate them. The remains, covering about 10 acres, fall into two distinct parts separated by an old road or hollow way which runs from W. to E. across the site. The hollow-way is 25ft. to 30ft. wide and 3ft. deep, but it has been damaged by a later hedge along its line. To the N. of the hollow-way are the remains of seven rectangular closes, orientated N.-S.; two of them have slight remains of house sites at their S. ends. To the N. of the three western closes four level rectangular platforms are set above a wide terrace-way running E.-W. To the S. of the main hollow-say another terrace-way runs first S., then W., and finally fades out to the S.W.; it is surrounded by a number of irregular closes bounded by low scarps and banks <6>.

A pipeline was run across the site in 1971 <8>. Listed <7>.

Listed as 'most worthy of preservation' <5>. <5-8>

ST 773020. Bingham's Melcombe deserted village Scheduled. Visited January 1970 <10> when remains were as described by RCHM. <9-10>

<1> Hutchins, J, 1873, The history and antiquities of the County of Dorset. Volume 4. 3rd edition, 368 (Monograph). SDO10245.

<2> Beresford M, 02-SEP-52, Letters and Notes (Unpublished document). SDO17593.

<3> RCHM Mss file (Unpublished document). SWX2467.

<4> Rigg, J, Field Investigators Comments JR, F1 JR 19-AUG-55 (Unpublished document). SWX1255.

<4.1> Beresford M, 02-SEP-52, Letters and Notes (Unpublished document). SDO17593.

<4.1> 19-AUG-55, Oral information, correspondence (not archived) or staff comments: Lady Hapwood (owner's wife) (Verbal communication). SDO17592.

<5> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume III (Central) Part 1 (Monograph). SDO146.

<6> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume III (Central) Part 2, 171-2 (Monograph). SDO136.

'(9) SETTLEMENT REMAINS of Bingham's Melcombe (773020) lie on the W. side of the Devil's Brook, immediately S. of (1); the village was one of two in the parish, both now deserted; their populations were always recorded together and it is impossible to separate them (see (8)).
The remains, covering about 10 acres, fall into two distinct parts separated by an old road or hollow-way which runs from W. to E. across the site. The hollow-way is 25 ft. to 30 ft. wide and 3 ft. deep, but it has been damaged by a later hedge along its line. To the N. of the hollow-way are the remains of seven rectangular closes, orientated N.-S.; two of them have slight remains of house sites at their S. ends. To the N. of the three western closes four level rectangular platforms are set above a wide terrace-way running E.-W. To the S. of the main hollowway another terrace-way runs first S., then W., and finally fades out to the S.W.; it is surrounded by a number of irregular closes bounded by low scarps and banks.'

<7> Beresford, M, and Hurst, J G, 1971, Deserted Medieval Villages, 186 (Monograph). SWX1568.

<8> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1994, Medieval Village Research Group Index, 22 (Index). SDO16386.

19, 1971

<9> DOE, 1978, Scheduled Monument Notification DOE (IAM) AMs Eng 2 1978 82 (Scheduling record). SWX2134.

<10> Department of the Environment, DOE (IAM) Ancient Monuments Record Form (Index). SDO17347.

<11> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1994, Medieval Village Research Group Index, PRN 504 (Index). SDO16386.

<12> Historic England, Historic England Archive, 880959 (Index). SDO14738.

RCHME. Bingham's Melcombe Settlement Remains, Dorset: Bibliographic References : 1) Pt 2, Monument (9)

<13> Historic England, Historic England Archive, AL0537 (Index). SDO14738.

Binghams Melcombe, Melcombe Horsey, Dorset: An album of four black-and-white prints taken in 1955 showing the house and gatehouse.

<14> National Record of the Historic Environment, 201914 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Feb 9 2022 2:13PM