Monument record MDO7863 - Deserted medieval settlement of Hurpston, Steeple

Earthwork remains of a deserted medieval settlement are visible on aerial photographs to the south of the River Corfe at Hurston. The features include enclosures, field boundaries and parallel cultivation marks. A possible house platform lies to the north of the river at SY 9254 8071.

SY 925806 Settlement remains at Hurpston ('Herpere' in Domesday) cover 1 acre round the Farm, itself now deserted. <1>

Hurpston Farmhouse has been demolished although the farm buildings and enclosure walls remain. Much of the surrounding ground has been cleared and intensively cultivated however a few house platforms and enclosures survive to the north of the farm on a level terrace above the flood plain of the Corfe River. No survey action: minor OS map value. <2>

Earthwork remains of a deserted medieval settlement are visible on aerial photographs to the south of the River Corfe at Hurston <3>. The features include enclosures, field boundaries and parallel cultivation marks. A possible house platform lies to the north of the river at SY 9254 8071. The features are partially still visible as extant earthworks on Google Earth imagery, 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 III (Central) Part 1, 273 (Monograph). SDO146.

<1.1> Royal Air Force, RAF/CPE/UK/1821 5417 (Aerial Photograph). SDO20199.

<1.2> Fagersten, A, 1933, Place-names of Dorset, 136 (Monograph). SDO17521.

<2> Fletcher, Martin, Field investigator's comments MJF, F1 MJF 30-APR-86 (Unpublished document). SDO17630.

<3> Royal Air Force, 04-NOV-1946, RAF/CPE/UK/1824 4231-2 (Aerial Photograph). SDO13484.

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 Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, Externally held archive: RCH01/093 RCHME Inventory: Dorset II (South-East) (Unpublished document).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

<5> National Record of the Historic Environment, 457079 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Oct 23 2023 12:10PM