Monument record MDO30449 - Post medieval water meadows, Puddletown

An extensive system of post medieval water meadows is visible as partial earthworks on recent lidar imagery and aerial photographs and as earthworks on aerial photographs of 1947, immediately to the west of Puddletown.

The site was surveyed by staff of RCHME in 1987 and is located over two fields to the east of the A 354, and are separtated by the former `Mill race/head main'. Possible platform for a built structure and property boundaries. In the North field on the first terrace above the river are remains of a water meadow irrigation system. Some of the drains feeding into the `tail drain' have been interrupted by a the construction of an enclosure clearly designed to be above the level of flooding, but the function of which is unknown. The earliest documentary evdence to water meadows in Dorset is 1629 in Puddletown. <1>

A extensive system of post medieval water meadows is visible as partial earthworks on recent lidar imagery and aerial photographs and as earthworks on aerial photographs of 1947, immediately to the west of Puddletown. The earthworks can be seen over an area measuring approximately 1180 m by 285 m. The water meadows continue to the north west, (outside the current project area). <5-7> The features were digitally plotted during the Wild Purbeck Mapping Project.

<1> McOmish, D S, Various, Field Investigators Comments DSM, F1 DSM 1988 (Unpublished document). SDO16333.

<2> Every, R, 2001, Catmead, Mill Street, Puddletown, Dorset. Rapid Archaeological Appraisal (Unpublished document). SDO14985.

<3> Every, R, 2001, Catmead, Mill Street, Puddletown, Dorset. Archaeological Evaluation Report (Unpublished document). SDO14994.

<4> Hennessy, B, 2004, Catmead, Mill Street, Puddletown, Dorset. Contour Survey and Archaeological Excavation Report (Unpublished document). SDO15055.

<5> Royal Air Force, 17-APR-1947, RAF/CPE/UK/2018 3062-3 (Aerial Photograph). SDO13275.

<6> Google Earth, 2008, Google Earth 2008 (Aerial Photograph). SDO12665.

<7> Environment Agency, 2010, Lidar DTM (Aerial Photograph). SDO13148.

<8> Historic England, Historic England Archive, 901431 (Index). SDO14738.

Puddletown/pencil survey

<9> Historic England, Historic England Archive, 901436 (Index). SDO14738.

Puddletown

<10> Historic England, Historic England Archive, AF0901423 (Index). SDO14738.

RCHME: Puddletown, Dorset. RCHME Salisbury surveyed the undated watermeadows in 1987.Contents : Plan, reportCondition : INTACT

<11> National Record of the Historic Environment, 965796 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Aug 23 2024 12:49PM