Monument record MDO7377 - Medieval settlement, Coombe Keynes

Field boundaries, hollow ways, strip lynchets and house platforms associated with the medieval village of Coombe Keynes are visible as earthworks on aerial photographs.

(Area centred SY 844842) Field systems. <1>

Area under grass. Field banks and small strip lynchets. <2>

The desertion earthworks south of Coombe Keynes may represent the remains of Southcombe, a manor held separately to Coombe Keynes from before 1286 to 1514, but possibly an identifiable part of the same village. <3>

SY 84508430-84208395. Settlement remains forming part of Coombe Keynes village cover 20 acres of pasture north east, east and south of the church; the Hearth Tax returns of 1662-4 give only fourteen taxable householders in the village. An estate map of circa 1770 shows that most of the site had been abandoned by then, which together with the evidence of Hearth Tax returns could suggest that desertion was early and perhaps Medieval.

Most of the remains lie south of the present road where a hollow-way follows the narrow valley bottom. Closes on the slope east of the hollow-way are much cut into by shallow quarrying. Probable house sites lie west of it. At (a) - on plan, three approximately level oblong areas are cut into the gentle slope: the two on the north are 9 ft to 12 ft by 45 ft: that on the south is 15 ft by 55 ft but much disturbed. To the south and west are almost level scarped platforms above a scarp to the west, 10 ft high and largely nartural. At (b), 60 yds north of (a) is a low-banked rounded oblong enclosure, about 25 ft by 9 ft with a gap in the south east side; the interior slopes east at an angle of 3 1/2o.

Among earthworks south of the church are a mound 2 ft high and a platform (d) perhaps a house site, 40 ft by 12 ft, opened on the west and cut into the gentle slope. At (c), are two disturbed platforms among irregularities which might indicate or conceal other house sites. Immediately south west of the pond the closes are bounded by a curving ditch or hollow-way which, before the pond was made, might have continued the line of a substantial bank up to 4 ft high running on the shoulder of the slope north
east of the pond.

On the widening valley floor north of the road and east of East Farm a bank marks the east and south sides of an enclosure (e) open to the north; at the south east angle it is 2 ft high on the outside and 3 1/2ft high inside. The ground rises gently west from the east bank and becomes very wet. <4>

The desertion recorded by Authority 3 at Coombe Keynes has now been destroyed by ploughing. Some slight parch marks in pasture indicate former closes, and amorphous depressions along the valley bottom represent the shallow quarries.

N.E. of the recorded area, at SY 84598427, about 1.3 ha. of probable desertion survives in pasture on a west facing slope. Two or three closes are demarcated by lynchets up to 1.2m. high, though the westernmost seems to have been a field boundary in 1770 (see Authy 3b). There are two possible building platforms (A & B on plan); 'B', 24m. by 7m., is enclosed on three sides by a ditch 0.5m. deep. Remains surveyed at 1:2500 on M.S.D. <5>

Platforms and closes recorded during an historic landscape survey of the Weld Estate. <6>

Field boundaries, hollow ways, strip lynchets and house platforms associated with the medieval village of Coombe Keynes are visible as earthworks on aerial photographs <7-10>). They were digitally plotted during the Wild Purbeck Mapping Project.

<1> Atkinson, R J C, 1949, spec 6 inch (RJCA 1.3.49) (Map). SWX1583.

<2> Quinnell, N V, Various, Field Investigators Comments NVQ, F1 NVQ 10-SEP-52 (Unpublished document). SDO11903.

<3> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1967, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1966, 214-5 (Serial). SDO66.

<4> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 1, 52 (Monograph). SDO148.

‘(12) SETTLEMENT REMAINS, of part of Coombe Keynes village (84508430 to 84208395; plan, p. 51), cover 20 acres of pasture N.E., E. and S. of the church.
The Hearth Tax returns of 1662–4 give only fourteen taxable householders in the village (C. A. F. Meekings, Dorset Hearth Tax Assessments (1951), 79). An estate map by J. Sparrow (D.C.R.O.; Plate 71), prepared for E. Weld in 1770, shows that most of the site had been abandoned by then. Some of the earthworks noted below were hedged (e.g. most of those E. of the hollowway, forming several enclosures all marked 'South Close', and parts of those N. of the road). In the area S. of the church, 'Court Close', only the prominent pond is shown. The arrangement of surviving parts of two open fields N. and S. of the village is also clear. The evidence of the Hearth Tax returns and this map suggest that abandonment here was early and perhaps mediaeval.
Most of the remains lie S. of the present road where a hollow-way follows the narrow valley bottom. Closes on the slope E. of the hollow-way are much cut into by shallow quarrying. Probable house sites lie W. of it. At (a), three approximately level oblong areas are cut into the gentle slope: the two on the N. are 9 ft. to 12 ft. by 45 ft.; that on the S. is 15 ft. by 55 ft. but much disturbed. To S. and W. are almost level scarped platforms above a scarp to the W., 10 ft. high and largely natural. At (b), 60 yds. N. of (a), is a low-banked rounded oblong enclosure, about 25 ft. by 9 ft., with a gap in the S.E. side; the interior slopes E. at an angle of 3½°.
Among earthworks S. of the church are a mound 2 ft. high and a platform (d), perhaps a house site, 40 ft. by 12 ft., openended on the W. and cut into a gentle slope. At (c) are two disturbed platforms among irregularities which might indicate or conceal other house sites. Immediately S.W. of the pond the closes are bounded by a curving ditch or hollow-way which, before the pond was made, might have continued the line of a substantial bank up to 4 ft. high running on the shoulder of the slope N.E. of the pond.
On the widening valley floor N. of the road and E. of East Farm a bank marks the E. and S. sides of an enclosure (e) open to the N.; at the S.E. angle it is 2 ft. high on the outside and 3½ ft. high inside. The ground rises gently W. from the E. bank and becomes very wet. (R.A.F. V.A.P. CPE/UK 1821: 4425 etc.)’

<4.1> Meekings, C A F, 1951, Dorset hearth tax assessments, 1662-1664 (Rawlinson mss B. 292-296 in theBodleian Library) (Monograph). SDO19951.

<4.2> Sparrow, J, 1770, Weld Estate (Map). SDO19952.

<5> Attrill, N J, Field Investigators Comments NJA, F2 NJA 23-JUL-81 (Unpublished document). SDO14743.

<6> Keen, L, and Carreck, A (eds), 1987 , Historic landscape of Weld: the Weld Estate Dorset., Survey no 306 (Monograph). SWX8134.

<7> Royal Air Force, 18-FEB-1970, RAF 58/0254 0028-9 (Aerial Photograph). SDO13794.

<8> Royal Air Force, 27-MAR-1945, RAF 106G/LA/200 2039 (Aerial Photograph). SDO13795.

<9> Royal Air Force, 04-NOV-1946, RAF/CPE/UK/1821 4425-6 (Aerial Photograph). SDO13793.

<10> Royal Air Force, 03-FEB-1945, RAF 106G/LA/113 2080-1 (Aerial Photograph). SDO13796.

<11> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, Externally held archive: RCH01/093 RCHME Inventory: Dorset II (South-East) (Unpublished document). SDO17434.

<12> National Record of the Historic Environment, 455657 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Oct 7 2024 3:26PM