Monument record MDO43441 - Dyke, Sturminster Newton

(Area centred ST 784152) In a charter of 968 (No.1214 in Birch's Cartularium Saxonicum and No. 545 in Kemble's Codex Diplomaticus) King Eadgar granted Glastonbury 30 hides of land at Sturminster Newton. In the survey part of the boundary is described as going "Up on Stoure on ther Dich". According to Grundy this is "Up on the Stour to the Dyke" and he thinks the dyke must have run up the south east side of Twinwood Copse. <1>

ST 78161518-ST 78611543. The south eastern boundary of Twinwood corpse consists of an outer field bank and an inner drainage ditch but they are no stronger than other modern boundary features elsewhere. Nonetheless it is noteworthy that the coppice south east margin forms a part of Hinton St. Mary/ Sturminster Newton parish boundary and therefore can be considered to be a relatively early demarcation line. <2>

<1> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1938, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1938, 77, 80 (Serial). SDO17677.

<1.1> de Gray Birch, W, 1885, Cartularium Saxonicum (Monograph). SDO17680.

<1.2> Kemble J M, 1839, Codex Diplomaticus (Monograph). SDO17681.

<2> Barrett, G, Various, Field Investigators Comments GB, F1 GB 02-AUG-78 (Unpublished document). SDO17369.

<3> National Record of the Historic Environment, 202184 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Feb 17 2022 11:20AM