Monument record MDO6412 - Deserted village of Knowlton, Woodlands

Medieval settlement remains damaged in places by later drainage and quarrying situated 750 metres north-west of Knowlton. The settlement survives as a series of earthworks which extend over an area of 4 hectares. The earthworks are now cut by a lane which divides it near the north-eastern end. The settlement consists of a series of platforms and enclosures which have been terraced into the steep river cliff to the south-east. At least 12 divisions are suggested by the boundaries within the settlement and within these are several rectangular platforms which may represent the sites of buildings. The site has produced 12th to 17th century pottery. The earthworks are visible on a 1945 aerial photograph and 2015 Lidar imagery and were digitally plotted by the Dorset Stour NMP project.

(16) Settlement remains of the former village of Knowlton lie on the S.E. bank of the R. Allen, 600 yds. N.W. of Knowlton church. Although Chenoltune is mentioned twice in Domesday the recorded population of 1086 cannot be assessed; one entry (V.C.H., Dorset iii, 65) includes other manors; the other (ibid., 86) records 2 men. The Lay Subsidy Roll of 1333 lists 31 taxpayers, but the figure includes Woodlands and other settlements and cannot be taken as evidence of population in Knowlton alone. The construction of a chapel and a tower at the church <3> in the 15th century implies a substantial population.

The remains have been much damaged by drainage and quarrying, but recognizable earthworks still cover about 10 acres (plan, opposite). On the W. of the road to Brockington at least eleven large roughly
rectangular closes, bounded by low banks and scarps, lie between the R. Allen and a steep river-cliff. Several possible building sites occur, most of them rectangular platforms. Disturbed areas at the lowest (N.W.) ends of most closes yield black soil, flint rubble, Heathstone fragments and 12th to 17th-century pottery. Other closes and rectangular platforms occur N.E. of the road to Brockington; they are cut by a later aqueduct, now disused. <3>

Note on old SMR card 'The Deserted Village of Knowlton, Dorset. An examination of the history of the village and a reconstruction of its landscape.' Marty J Whittock

The earthworks were digitally plotted by the Dorset Stour NMP project from 1940s aerial photographs, a 2005 aerial photograph and from current Lidar imagery <1, 7, 9>. A series of southeast to northwest aligned scarps, banks and ditches were identified. It is possible the village earthworks extend further to the northeast than currently recognised <9>. There is good visiblity of the site on 2012 Google Earth imagery <8>.

<1> Royal Air Force, 20-MAR-45, RAF/106G/LA/187 RS 4102-3 (Aerial Photograph). SDO15645.

<2> Historic England, Historic England Archive, Object Number: 884260
Object Title: RCHME: Knowlton DMV, Woodlands, Dorset (Index). SDO14738.

<3> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1975, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume V (East), 113 plan (Monograph). SDO129.

‘(16) SETTLEMENT REMAINS of the former village of Knowlton lie on the S.E. bank of the R. Allen, 600 yds. N.W. of Knowlton church. Although Chenoltune is mentioned twice in Domesday the recorded population of 1086 cannot be assessed; one entry (V.C.H., Dorset iii, 65) includes other manors; the other (ibid., 86) records 2 men. The Lay Subsidy Roll of 1333 lists 31 taxpayers, but the figure includes Woodlands and other settlements and cannot be taken as evidence of population in the Knowlton area. The construction of a chapel and a tower at the church (1) in the 15th century implies a substantial population.

The remains have been much damaged by drainage and quarrying, but recognizable earthworks still cover about 10 acres (plan, opposite). On the S. of the road to Brockington at least eleven large roughly rectangular closes, bounded by low banks and scarps, lie between the R. Allen and a steep river-cliff. Several possible building sites occur, most of them rectangular platforms. Disturbed areas at the lower (N.W.) ends of most closes yield black soil, flint rubble, Heathstone fragments and 12th to 17th-century pottery. Other closes and rectangular platforms occur N.E. of the road to Brockington: they are cut by a later aqueduct, now disused.’

<4> Historic England, Historic England Archive, Object Number: RCH01/091. Object Title: RCHME Inventory: Dorset V (East) (Index). SDO14738.

<5> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1994, Medieval Village Research Group Index, PRN 512 (Index). SDO16386.

<6> DCMS, 2002, Scheduled Monument Notification EH Scheduling amendment, 05-JUL-2002, Scheduled 05-Jul-2002 (Scheduling record). SDO18700.

<7> National Monuments Record, 16-FEB-05, NMR 28313/012 (SU0110/018) (Aerial Photograph). SDO15649.

<8> Google Earth, 01-JUN-2012, Google Earth 2012 (Aerial Photograph). SDO12633.

<9> XX-XXX-2015, Environment Agency DTM Lidar 1m (Aerial Photograph). SDO15442.

<10> National Record of the Historic Environment, 213832 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Nov 3 2022 3:14PM