Monument record MDO3353 - Shrunken medieval village, Winterbourne Steepleton

Earthworks of medieval or later settlement shrinkage, formerly part of Winterbourne Steepleton village. Noted by RCHM and also visible as earthworks on aerial photographs.

(SY 624899) Settlement remains, formerly part of Winterbourne Steepleton village, cover about 3 acres at the
end of the village. They are very disturbed, but continue north west the line of existing closes south of the main street.
(1)

The evidence for shrinkage in this area comprises three or four short low-spread banks running up and down hill in the field centred SY 62459015. Lower down the hill and south-west of the road any remains have been destroyed by modern development. (2)

This site is visible as earthworks on aerial photographs {3} and these were digitally plotted during the South Dorset Ridgeway Mapping Project. Evidence for further settlement shrinkage can also be seen at the southeastern end of the village (MDO3354).

<1> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 2, 396 (Monograph). SDO149.

'(11) Settlement remains, formerly part of Winterbourne Steepleton village (624901, 630897, 631898; Fig, in pocket), cover about 10 acres.
The remains at the W. end of the village, covering 3 acres, are very disturbed but continue N.W. the line of existing closes S. of the main street. E. of the Manor House disturbed banks 2 ft. to 3 ft. high once formed five or more enclosures but now only remain as a series of bays, 60 ft. to 120 ft. wide, running N. from a scarp 5 ft. to 7 ft. high contained E. by a boundary line. The name 'Droveway' on the Tithe Map for an enclosure to the E. of these bays supports the suggestion of other boundaries on the map that a road continued the line of the village street eastwards, below these closes and S. of the present road. N.E. of the church two large enclosures on a S.-facing slope of about 10 degrees are formed by banks 19 ft. across and 4 ft. high with ditches 10 ft. wide; these banks continue E. and W., suggesting further incomplete enclosures. In 1840 these closes lay in Cowleaze and were partly indicated on the Tithe Map which also suggests that they were cut by the existing road. (R.A>F. V.A>P> CPE/UK 1934: 5093).'

<2> Barton, J G, Various, Field Investigators Comments JGB, F1 JGB 28-APR-80 (Unpublished document). SDO11900.

<3> Royal Air Force, 17-JAN-1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1934 5093-5 (Aerial Photograph). SDO11872.

<4> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, Externally held archive: RCH01/093 RCHME Inventory: Dorset II (South-East) (Unpublished document). SDO17434.

<5> National Record of the Historic Environment, 452536 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Aug 22 2024 4:07PM