Monument record MDO7860 - Settlement remains formerly part of Steeple

Remains cover about one and a half acres around the church. The village had been partially depopulated by the seventeenth century. Shrunken village earthworks are visible as earthworks on aerial photographs.

The principal area of the settlement lies on the sloping 3.6 acre arable field centred SY 91228093. The features noted by RCHM (1) are
ploughed, and spread but for the most part are still identifiable.

The area around the church has been reduced by ploughing also, and part has been claimed for a garden, all traces there have gone. Access to the site for the survey proved difficult and as the remains are of minor cartographic importance this aspect was not pursued. <3>

The remains consist of a roughly rectilinear pattern of hollow-ways on either side of a small west-east valley, together with banks, closes and platforms. At least three of the platforms lie due east of the church, one originally about 75 foot square. North west of the church are three other platforms 25 feet square. The medieval shrunken village earthworks are visible as earthworks on aerial photographs <5-6>. The features 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 2, 273 (Monograph). SDO149.

'(16) Settlement Remains (910809), formerly part of Steeple, cover about 1½ acres around the church; the village had been partly depopulated for a farm by the 17th century (Hutchins (1st ed.) I, 202).

The remains consist of a roughly rectilinear pattern of hollow-ways on either side of a small W.-E. valley, together with banks, closes and platforms. At least three of the platforms lie due E. of the church, one originally about 75 ft. square; a roughly circular mound 25 ft. in diam. lies to the S.E. (Steeple 26). N.W. of the church (90978104) are three other platforms 25 ft. square.

In the S.W. corner of the area (90928091) is a circular embanked hollow about 12 ft. in diam., perhaps a windmill site, with an entrance into a hollow-way on the N.W. (R.A.F. V.A.P. CPE/UK 1821: 5418.)'

<2> Papworth, M D J, Trust for Wessex Archaeology, 1983, Isle of Purbeck Survey, IOP 184-6 (Index). SDO147.

'The settlement remains lie in permanent pasture.'

<3> Fletcher, Martin, Field investigator's comments MJF, F1 MJF 01-MAY-86 (Unpublished document). SDO17630.

<4> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, Externally held archive: RCH01/093 RCHME Inventory: Dorset II (South-East) (Unpublished document). SDO17434.

<5> Royal Air Force, 04-NOV-1946, RAF/CPE/UK/1824 4233-4 (Aerial Photograph). SDO13478.

<6> Royal Air Force, 18-JAN-1962, RAF 58/4878 (F21) 0068-9 (Aerial Photograph). SDO13479.

<7> National Record of the Historic Environment, 457073 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Oct 23 2023 11:32AM