Monument record MDO4860 - Medieval settlement of Colber, Sturminster Newton

Earthworks of a small settlement consisting of an enclosure with banks and ditches, a house platform and associated hollow-ways, and situated in a field still known as ‘Colber’s’. The earthworks cover around 8 acres and represent little more than a single farmstead. The settlement is mentioned in Domesday Book but rarely in later documents, probably because it was incorporated into the manor of Newton. It is known to have been deserted by 1765, as it does not appear on Taylor’s map of Dorset of that date, but was probably deserted much earlier. A few pieces of 12th and 13th-century pottery were found on the site, after ploughing. In 1970 the earthworks were described as having been levelled in 1964.

SETTLEMENT REMAINS (778144) of Colber, N.W. of Sturminster town, comprise an enclosure with banks and ditches, a house platform and associated hollow-ways. The settlement is mentioned in Domesday Book (I,f. 75a; Hutchins IV, 340) but it rarely occurs in later documents, probably because it was incorporated in the manor of Newton. The 1333 Subsidy Roll records twenty-two taxpayers but, since the remains appear to represent a single farmstead, this relatively large number must include people from outlying farms and hamlets as well as from Colber itself. The date of desertion is unknown but it had probably taken place by the late 16th or early 17th century (Hutchins IV, 341); the settlement was certainly deserted by 1765, for I. Taylor's Map of Dorset shows nothing of it. The field in which the remains lie is still known as 'Colber's'. <1>

The farmstead, once known as Colber, appears to have been deserted soon after the middle of the 14th century. <2>

The site of Colber farmstead, under grass when visited, has suffered considerable mutilation by ploughing. Where extant, it remains as described by RCHM <1>. Elsewhere the ditches have been reduced to cropmarks, and the banks to low unsurveyable ground swellings. The land owner reports finding sherds of pottery when ploughing. These were dated as 13th century by Dorchester Museum. The site is poorly defined on OS air photographs. Surveyed at 1:2500 on MSDs. ST 77/7814 in conjunction with RCHM plan. <3>

Colber settlement earthworks suffered further damage by extensive drainage operations in October 1978 (a). The surviving banks are now in a very poor state but the survey of 15.8.78 is still acceptable. Sherds of Medieval pottery were found at ST 77961434. <4>

<1> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume III (Central) Part 2, 285-286 (Monograph). SDO136.

‘(69) SETTLEMENT REMAINS (778144) of Colber, N.W. of Sturminster town, comprise an enclosure with banks and ditches, a house platform and associated hollow-ways. The settlement is mentioned in Domesday Book (I, f. 75a; Hutchins IV, 340) but it rarely occurs in later documents, probably because it was incorporated in the manor of Newton. The 1333 Subsidy Roll records twenty-two taxpayers but, since the remains appear to represent a single farmstead, this relatively large number must include people from outlying farms and hamlets as well as from Colber itself. The date of desertion is unknown but it had probably taken place by the late 16th or early 17th century (Hutchins IV, 341); the settlement was certainly deserted by 1765, for I. Taylor’s Map of Dorset shows nothing of it. The field in which the remains lie is still known as ‘Colber’s’.

The remains cover about 8 acres and lie on the E. side of a low N.-S. ridge, E. of the Stour. The site is low-lying and has been extensively damaged by modern drainage channels. The main feature is a roughly L-shaped enclosure, bounded by a low bank up to 3 ft. high, with an external ditch on the N., W. and S. and with an internal ditch on the D. The ditches on the N. and E. have been used by traffic and run into an E.-W hollow-way near the N.E. corner. There are two entrances; that to the N. may be original but the other, near the S.W. corner is probably not so. Adjacent to the S.E. corner of the enclosure is a roughly rectangular platform 1 ft. high within it; a large pond bounds it on the south. Ashlar blocks have been turned up by ploughing within the area of the large platform. To the E. and N.E. are a number of low scarps, extensively damaged by drainage ditches and by ploughing, and among these scarps a few sherds of 12th and 13th-century pottery have been found. Further E. are the fragmentary remains of two hollow-ways. To the N. of the hollow-ways is a second pond; it drains N.E. and appears to cut into a small, almost square enclosure, of which only the N.W. part remains. The enclosure is bounded on the S.W. and N.W. by a bank 1½ ft. high with an external ditch. On the N.E. side there is only a ditch. (Destroyed, 1964).'

<1.1> Royal Air Force, 11-JUN-1947, RAF/CPE/UK/2150 3183-4 (Aerial Photograph). SDO17550.

<2> Taylor, C C, 1970, Dorset (1970), 111 (Monograph). SWX2984.

<3> Barrett, G, Various, Field Investigators Comments GB, F1 GB 15-AUG-78 (Unpublished document). SDO17369.

<3.1> Fox, 1978, Oral: Mr Fox, Oak Farm, Stalbridge Lane, Sturminster Newton (Verbal communication). SDO17552.

<3.2> Ordnance Survey, OS 74/059/245-46 (Aerial Photograph). SDO17551.

<4> Stone, J W, Field Investigators Comments JWS, F2 JWS 28-FEB-79 (Unpublished document). SDO11902.

<5> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1994, Medieval Village Research Group Index, PRN 485 (Index). SDO16386.

<6> Simons, M A, Oral information, correspondence (not archived) or staff comments: handwritten note on old Dorset SMR card (Verbal communication). SDO17553.

'Quite clear on DCC AP Run 10 (174) 1974'

<7> Historic England, Historic England Archive, 881797 (Index). SDO14738.

RCHME: Settlement Remains of Colber, Dorset. Bibliographic References : 1) Pt 2 Monument (69)

<8> Historic England, Historic England Archive, AA71/05746 (Index). SDO14738.

PLAN OF SETTLEMENT - A DESERTED MEDIEVAL FARMSTEAD, PROBABLY ABANDONED BY MID C14. EXTENSIVELY DAMAGED BY DRAINAGE OPERATIONS IN 1978

<9> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, Externally held archive: RCH01/096 RCHME Inventory: Dorset III (Central) (Unpublished document). SDO17384.

<10> National Record of the Historic Environment, 202240 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Jan 24 2022 3:38PM