Monument record MDO2850 - Deserted village of Fryer Mayne, West Knighton

Deserted medieval settlement, formerly represented by earthworks but ploughed since 1963 and now simply a series of surface undulations. Survey of the earthworks prior to their destruction showed a hollow way running approximately west to east lined by house sites, those to the north of the road on platforms and those to the south levelled back into the natural slope. Immediately after ploughing the walls of some houses showed clearly as spreads of cob, and there was also stone rubble. Sherds brought to the surface were probably 14th century. Visible as low earthworks on aerial photographs.

FRYER MAYNE deserted mediaeval village remains (735866), mostly destroyed in May 1963, lay about 1,200 yds. S.S.E. of the church in a 10 acre meadow bounded on the W. by the parish boundary with Broadmayne. The settlement remains of Broadmayne lie just beyond. On the S.E. is the drive leading to Fryer Mayne house near which is the site of a chapel (SY 78 NW 41).

Perhaps other features once connected with the old village are concealed here.

A water-mill mentioned in 1338 was probably at Fryer Mayne.

When recorded, the earthworks were relatively well preserved in spite of much quarrying on the S.E. A well-defined hollow-way ran approximately W. to E. through the settlement along relatively flat ground. Where it entered the meadow at the W., continuing the line of the parish boundary, its S. scarp was 8ft. deep but elsewhere was nearer 3 ft.; to the E. it faded out into a relatively level area.

Lining it to the S. for over 200 yds. was a virtually continuous row of house sites and N. of it were others, fewer in number; where there were no house sites the roadway was demarcated by a bank up to 3ft. high. The houses, defined by low banks or scarps, varied in size from 12 ft. by 20 ft. to 35 ft. by 90 ft. Those N. of the hollow-way were on platforms up to 3 ft. high. To the S. the platforms were levelled back into the natural slope. Immediately after being ploughed, the walls of some housed showed clearly as spreads of cob, and there was also stone rubble. Potsherds brought to the surface were probably 14th-century, though there was much later debris in the quarried area to the S.E. On the S.W., short low parallel ridges, nowhere more than about 9 ins. high, seemed never to have extended any further than when recorded; they were most unlikely, therefore, to have been the remains of ploughing.

The closes running back from the house sites were bounded by banks or scarps generally 2 ft. to 3 ft. high and varied in size from about 1/9 acre to 1/4 acre. The shallow linear depressions which divided some of them might have marked ditches since they did not seem to give access to the main hollow-way. The pattern to the E., though broken by quarrying, suggested that a different type of feature was represented. <1-3>

The earthworks of Fryer Mayne DMV have been ploughed continuously since recored by RCHM (1) in 1963. Typological/diagnostic featurs have been completely destroyed, and the site is now represented by surface undulations of natural appearance. A light surface scatter of Medieval pottery sherds occurs generally over the southern area. Partly under kale-crop at time of ground inspection.

A field adjoining immediately to the southwest contains fairly substantial earthworks (SY 78 NW 50), which clearly, originally formed part of the Fryer Mayne old village complex. <4>




Fryer Mayne deserted Medieval village. Visible as low earthworks on aerial photographs. Remains comprise of banks, ditches, house platforms, holloways and an associated field system.{1-3}

<1> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 1, 138-140 (Monograph). SDO148.

‘(19) FRYER MAYNE (Fig. p. 139), deserted medieval village remains (735866), mostly destroyed in May 1963, lay about 1,200 yds. S.S.E. of the church in a 10 acre meadow bounded on the W. by the parish boundary with Broadmayne. The settlement remains of Broadmayne (18) lie just beyond. On the S.E. is the drive leading to Fryer Mayne house (2) near which is the site of a chapel described as ‘slighted’ in 1650. Perhaps other features once connected with the old village are concealed here. The history of the settlement is difficult to determine since references to ‘Mayne’ held by the Knights Hospitallers from the 13th century could in some early cases refer equally well to Little Mayne ((20) below) though a water-mill mentioned in 1338 was probably at Fryer Mayne. (Hutchins II, 500 ff.; Fägersten 154.)

The site is on a gentle slope falling N.W. from about 190 ft. to about 160 ft. above O.D. towards a small stream flowing E. to join a tributary of the Frome. The subsoil is sand and clay of the Reading Beds. When recorded, the earthworks were relatively well preserved in spite of much quarrying on the S.E. A well-defined hollow-way ran approximately W. to E. through the settlement along relatively flat ground. Where it entered the meadow at the W., continuing the line of the parish boundary, its S. scarp was 8 ft. deep but elsewhere was nearer 3 ft.; to the E., it faded out into a relatively level area. Lining it to the S. for over 200 yds. was a virtually continuous row of house sites and N. of it were others, fewer in number; where there were no house sites the roadway was demarcated by a bank up to 3 ft. high. The houses, defined by low banks or scarps, varied in size from 12 ft. by 20 ft. to 35 ft. by 90 ft. Those N. of the hollow-way were on platforms up to 3 ft. high. To the S. the platforms were levelled back into the natural slope. Immediately after being ploughed, the walls of some houses showed clearly as spreads of cob, and there was also stone rubble. Potsherds brought to the surface were probably 14th-century, though there was much later debris in the quarried area to the S.E. On the S.W., short low parallel ridges, nowhere more than about 9 ins. high, seemed never to have extended any further than when recorded; they were most unlikely, therefore, to have been the remains of ploughing.

The closes running back from the house sites were bounded by banks or scarps generally 2 ft. to 3 ft. high and varied in size from about 1/9 acre to ¼ acre. The shallow linear depressions which divided some of them might have marked ditches since they did not seem to give access to the main hollow-way. The pattern to the E., though broken by quarrying, suggested that a different type of feature was represented. (R.A.F. V.A.P. CPE/UK 1934 : 1051-2.)'

<2> Beresford, M, and Hurst, J G, 1971, Deserted Medieval Villages, 186 (Monograph). SWX1568.

<3> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1978, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1976, 62 (Serial). SDO76.

<4> Stone, J W, Field Investigators Comments JWS, F1 JWS 09-JAN-80 (Unpublished document). SDO11902.

<5> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1994, Medieval Village Research Group Index, PRN 500 (Index). SDO16386.

<6> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, Externally held archive: RCH01/093 RCHME Inventory: Dorset II (South-East) (Unpublished document). SDO17434.

<7> Royal Air Force, 04-NOV-1946, RAF/CPE/UK/1821 6435-7 (Aerial Photograph). SDO10778.

<8> Royal Air Force, 04-NOV-1946, RAF/CPE/UK/1824 4259-61 (Aerial Photograph). SDO10777.

<9> Royal Air Force, 17-JAN-1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1934 1049-51 (Aerial Photograph). SDO10775.

<10> National Record of the Historic Environment, 454086 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Nov 22 2023 4:54PM