Monument record MDO7299 - Shrunken medieval village, West Orchard Farm, Church Knowle

Shrunken medieval settlement remains with an associated field system visible as earthworks on aerial photographs in the vicinity of West Orchard Farm.

SY 941808. Very fragmentary settlement remains lie north-east of West Orchard Farm. The site appears in Domesday as 'Horcerd'. <1>

The fields to the NW and NE of the farm have been cleared and are regularly ploughed. No evidence of the settlement remains were identified. <3>

Shrunken medieval settlement remains with an associated field system visible as earthworks on aerial photographs taken in 1945 in the vicinity of West Orchard Farm <5>. The features are now plough-levelled. They were digitally plotted during the Wild Purbeck Mapping Project.

<1> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 1, 49 (Monograph). SDO148.

‘(31) SETTLEMENT REMAINS at West Orchard (941808) very fragmentary, lie N.E. of the farm (Monument 25). The site appears in Domesday Book as ‘Horcerd’. (Hutchins I, 489; Fägersten, 134; R.A.F. V.A.P. CPE/UK 1821: 5413).’

<2> Papworth, M D J, Trust for Wessex Archaeology, 1983, Isle of Purbeck Survey, IOP 210 (Index). SDO147.

‘Site lies in a field N.E. of farm buildings in a field occasionally ploughed and in ley pasture when visited. 7/7/D.’

<3> Fletcher, Martin, Field investigator's comments MJF, F1 MJF 26-APR-86 (Unpublished document). SDO17630.

<4> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1994, Medieval Village Research Group Index, PRN 438 (Index). SDO16386.

<5> Royal Air Force, 27-MAR-1945, RAF 106G/LA/200 1022-3 (Aerial Photograph). SDO13495.

<6> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, Externally held archive: RCH01/093 RCHME Inventory: Dorset II (South-East) (Unpublished document). SDO17434.

<7> National Record of the Historic Environment, 457064 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Oct 23 2023 1:34PM