Monument record MDO30754 - Uncertain curvilinear earthworks, Langton Matravers

A group of twelve curvilinear features are visible as cropmarks and earthworks in the field to the north east of Court Pund, Langton Matravers. They are of uncertain date and function and are possibly military features such as gun emplacements or searchlight batteries.

A group of twelve curvilinear features (9-15m across) are visible as cropmarks and earthworks in the field to the north east of Court Pound, Langton Matravers (1-2). They are of uncertain date and function and are possibly military features such as gun emplacements or searchlight batteries. The features are no longer visible on the latest Google earth imagery. They were digitally plotted during the Wild Purbeck Mapping Project.

<1> Royal Air Force, 20-MAR-1945, RAF 106G/LA/187 4005-6 (Aerial Photograph). SDO13391.

<2> Royal Air Force, 10-FEB-1945, RAF 106G/LA/128 7081-2, SY97NE 161 (Aerial Photograph). SDO13403.

<3> Papworth M, 1994, Eastington, Acton, Westwood, Wilkswood, New Barn, Corfe Castle Estate, Wessex Region, 67 (Unpublished document). SWX1388.

Earthworks within Court Pound Mead appear to represent enclosures and platforms blurred at some time by ploughing. They cover the whole field but are concentrated particularly towards the north-east part of it. The name Court Pound is of particular interest. Court usually refers to a manor court, in this case, presumably the manor court of Langton Wallis. Pound refers to the place where stray animals were kept until their owners paid the fine the manor court exacted for their release. Court Pound Cottage (110,183) is the building on the south side of a small rectangular enclosure which is described as ‘the pound’ on the 1928 O.S. map 25” to 1 mile. This lies at the south-west corner of Court Pound Mead. A pound is marked here on the 1585 map (Treswell). On the same map two buildings 100-300m to the east of the pound on the north side of the road are described as ‘ye farme’ and held by William Grove who was tenant of Eastington Manor and large areas of land in Acton and Langton. The ancient sites of Eastington and Acton seem clear from Treswell but the site of Langton Wallis manor house is not known. The position of ‘ye farme’ would be a good candidate for this medieval manor site. Treswell shows the buildings as larger than other buildings on the map and they are sited within the Langton manor but close to the border with Acton (112,400). The field name element ‘court’ and the location of the pound in close proximity suggests that the administrative manor court function of the locality had remained while the manor house buildings themselves had declined to farm status by the 16th century. Langton Wallis was the largest manor in Purbeck in the medieval period and the manor house is likely to have been of a size which reflected this status.

Record last edited

Apr 17 2023 6:56AM