Monument record MDO642 - Sherborne Deer Park, Castleton

Deer park probably originally enclosed in the early twelfth century by Roger, Bishop of Salisbury. In the post-medieval and later periods, the park was integrated into ornamental parkland. Significant parts of the surrounding earthwork bank survive.

(ST 64391561 to ST 65781552). The Old Park boundary ditch is visible in many places, with the old diverted highway round its edge. (1)

Sherborne Medieval deerpark is divided into "Old Park" and "Deer Park". It is roughly oval in shape, 2 miles east-west by 1200 yds north-south enclosing 460 acres. First recorded in 1160, the name "Old Park" suggests more than one phase. (3)

The west and south sides of 'Old Park' are enclosed for a distance of 2200.0m by an earthen bank lying within the stone wall of the later and larger 'Deer Park'. The bank is well-preserved, and averages 10.0m in width and is from 0.7 to 2.0m in height. On the west side, there is an inner ditch for part of the distance down a north facing slope, which is 5.0 to 7.0m wide and up to 0.7m deep. At the northern end the bank fades out at ST 6437 1572, west of 'The Kennels' and a modern iron paling continues the line. To the east, beyond Oakey Clump, the bank, travelling north east fades out into arable land at ST 66171579 at the point where the stone wall turns to the east. The course of the bank can be detected as a very low ridge for a further 250.0m across the arable and two large trees stand on the line.

East of Gallows Plot, at the south west corner of the park, an apparent outer ditch outside the wall is, in fact, a hollow way some 100.0m long cutting through a rise of ground.

Park pale surveyed at 1:2500, ST 6415 and 6615 on PFDs, ST 6515 on AM. (4)

History and description of the park. According to Fowler (a) the park was first enclosed by the Bishop of Salisbury in the first quarter of the C12th.

A perambulation of the boundary of the New Park, following the line of the pale shown on Ladd's map of the Sherborne Estate drawn in 1733, confirmed that Ladd's map is accurate. The Eastern boundary is discernible on a slight hump, and the ditch as a depression as far North as Sherborne lake. (2)

<1> Bean, C E, Annotated record map Corr 6", March 1954 (Map). SDO16337.

(ST 64391561 to ST 65781552)

<2> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1966, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1965, 227-229 (Serial). SDO65.

<3> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, RCHM Ms File (unpublished revision of Dorset 1), No 15 23.9.76 (Unpublished document). SDO17382.

<4> Phillips, A S, Various, Field Investigators Comments ASP, F1 ASP 24-NOV-77 (Unpublished document). SWX3817.

<5> Historic England, Historic England Archive, RCH01/088 (Index). SDO14738.

RCHME Inventory: Dorset I (West) and Revision. A collection of archive relating to the Dorset inventory Volume I (West Dorset) and to a proposed revision which was never published. The archive consists of a wide range of material including original field notes, surveys, profiles, photographs and negatives, measured drawings, and correspondence.

<6> National Record of the Historic Environment, 199506 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

May 20 2022 10:50AM