Monument record MDO2032 - Medieval settlement of West Shilvinghampton, Portesham

Settlement Remains, at West and East Shilvinghampton, lie some 1 2/3 miles south east of Portesham Church on the lower north facing slopes of a limestone ridge. West Shilvinghampton is mentioned in Domesday Book and belonged to Abbotsbury Abbey until 1539 when it passed to the Samways family. East Shilvinghampton was described in Domesday Book as two parcels, of which one or both passed to Shaftesbury Abbey and after 1539 both were held by the Earl of Pembroke. The two settlements are clearly set in a territory bounded on the west by Abbotsbury and Langton Herring, on the east by the Chickerell boundary and its continuation by field walls north to the vicinity of Corton, on the south by Fleet, but only dubiously along the north by Corton Hill. This territory seems to be divided by a line running between the two settlements and then south passing east of Seven Acre Coppice and through Drift Plantation.

West Shilvinghampton (625844) is marked by some 9 acres of scarped and banked closes with associated tracks in the fields immediately north and east of West Shilvinghampton Farm. The area, now under pasture, has been much disturbed. A sunken way runs north to south through the remains; it is 20 ft. or more wide, up to 6ft. Deep and very wet with a stream canalised along part of its length. To the west are long scarped closes bounded on the west side by a continuous north to south ditch up to 10 ft.wide and a bank 27 ft. across and 1 ft high, beyond it. East of the sunken way lie less regular, roughly square scarped platforms, the largest about 1/2 acre in area.

East Shilvinghampton (629844) has very disturbed remains immediately north east of East Shilvinghampton Farm covering about 8 acres 200 yds east of (A) and in a similar situation. Two small and virtually flat closes probably mark sites of buildings.

Clearly visible on air photographs. <1>

Circa SY 629844. Deserted Medieval villages of East and West Shilvinghampton. Listed. <5>

East and West Shilvinghampton occupy a gentle N facing slope divided by a water course and bounded on their northern limit by a stream. The area is given over entirely to pasture. The deserted Medieval village remains are very scanty and only in the area centred SY 62858450 can anything that resembles a house platform be recognised: for the remainder only odd corners of fields can be seen. The best preserved remains are centred at SY 62548450 below West Shilvinghampton Farm where there are 4 terraces about 30.0m apart on average and 70.0m long. Ploughing in this field has destroyed the ditch and bank that formerly flanked the western side of the terraces, and in the fields centred SY 62628440, E of the water course, ploughing has reduced the platforms noted by RCHM to inconspicuous scarps.

In the field centred SY 62878440 3 N facing prominent scarps may be the remains of building platforms and in the N part of the field centred SY 62808448 remains of a hollow way separate two platforms, with two further platforms to the S. None of the features here is very prominent. At SY 62908447 on the W side of a large field is a further platform and N of it an irregular hollow way or wide ditch. Surveyed at 1:2500 on MSD. <6>

Extensive remains of the medieval settlement of West Shilvinghampton, visible as earthworks on aerial photographs <2-4> to the north and east of West Shilvinghampton Farm. The site was digitally plotted during the South Dorset Ridgeway Mapping Project.

<1> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 2, 246 (Monograph). SDO149.

‘(30, 31) SETTLEMENT REMAINS, at West and East Shilvinghampton, lie some 12/3 miles S.E. of Portesham Church on the lower N.-facing slopes of a limestone ridge. West Shilvinghampton (called 'West Shilvington' in Hutchins II, 762) is mentioned in Domesday Book and belonged to Abbotsbury Abbey until 1539 when it passed to the Samways family. East Shilvinghampton ('Shilvington' in Hutchins) was described in Domesday Book as two parcels, of which one or both passed to Shaftesbury Abbey and after 1539 both were held by the Earl of Pembroke. The two settlements are clearly set in a territory bounded on the W. by Abbotsbury and Langton Herring, on the E. by the Chickerell boundary and its continuation by field walls N. to the vicinity of Corton, on the S. by Fleet, but only dubiously along the N. by Corton Hill. This territory seems to be divided by a line running between the two settlements and then S. passing E. of Seven Acre Coppice and through Drift Plantation. (R.A.F. V.A.P. CPE/UK 1821, 6455–8.)
West Shilvinghampton (625844) is marked by some 9 acres of scarped and banked closes with associated tracks in the fields immediately N. and E. of West Shilvinghampton Farm. The area, now under pasture, has been much disturbed. A sunken way runs N. to S. through the remains; it is 20 ft. or more wide, up to 6 ft. deep and very wet with a stream canalised along part of its length. To the W. are long scarped closes bounded on the W. side by a continuous N. to S. ditch up to 10 ft. wide and a bank, 27 ft. across and 1 ft. high, beyond it. E. of the sunken way lie less regular, roughly square scarped platforms, the largest about ½ acre in area.’

<1.1> Royal Air Force, 22-JAN-1948, RAF/CPE/UK/2431 4292-3 (Aerial Photograph). SDO12127.

<2> Royal Air Force, 04-NOV-1946, RAF/CPE/UK/1821 6456-7 (Aerial Photograph). SDO12119.

<3> 30-NOV-1980, MAL 8038 180 (Aerial Photograph). SDO12120.

<4> 01-FEB-1968, MAL 6804 056-7 (Aerial Photograph). SDO12121.

<5> Beresford, M, and Hurst, J G, 1971, Deserted Medieval Villages, 186 (Monograph). SWX1568.

<6> Barton, J G, Various, Field Investigators Comments JGB, F1 JGB 07-MAY-80 (Unpublished document). SDO11900.

<7> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1994, Medieval Village Research Group Index, PRN 455 (Index). SDO16386.

<8> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, Externally held archive: RCH01/093 RCHME Inventory: Dorset II (South-East) (Unpublished document). SDO17434.

<9> National Record of the Historic Environment, 452762 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Jun 28 2022 12:21PM