Monument record MDO8054 - Medieval settlement, Tyneham

Remains of banks, lynchets and trackways of former medieval settlement at Tyneham are visible as earthworks on aerial photographs and Lidar imagery. The western area of these earthworks has now been destroyed by the constuction of a modern car park.

Settlement remains, formerly part of Tyneham (SY 879800 to SY 882803), cover 3 acres or more S. from a point 100 yds. S. of the church. Eight long, narrow closes are bounded to the S. by an almost straight bank about 25 ft. wide and an outer ditch about 15 ft across and 1 1/2 ft deep with a flat bottom 3 ft. wide. The closes are separated by banks 12 ft. to 15 ft. broad and 9 ins. to 2 ft. high or by scarps mostly about 2 ft. high, suggesting that some had been extensively ploughed. Widths vary from 27 ft. to 66 ft. and two complete closes are 180 ft. and 255 ft. long, giving areas of 1/5 acre and 2/5 acre. A further close contiguous on the S.E., at 88268022, may have had others, almost destroyed, W. of it. Six plots 330 yds. WSW of this, 42 ft. to 48 ft. wide by up to 150 ft., are divided by low, spread banks about 13 ft. across; these may be the ends of further closes conceivably connected with the above series. <1>

Tyneham is first mentioned in Domesday as Tigeham. <2>

Parts of the Medieval settlement remains at Tyneham have been destroyed by the construction of a car park. Those that remain cover an area totalling approximately 2.0 ha. centred at SY 88288028 and of 0.5 ha. at SY 88148025. The remains are mostly in the form of banks and scarps which are the boundaries of the closes referred to by R.C.H.M. (1), including the one at SY 88268022. A hollow-way of uncertain date runs just south of the modern road and is partly destroyed by a quarry. The north-south bank from SY 88218033 to SY 88248017 is probably a raised track, leading from the village to Tyneham Farm, again of uncertain date. Only one building platform, at SY 88238030, can be certainly recognised. Surveyed at 1:2500 on M.S.D. <3>

Remains of banks, lynchets and trackways of former medieval settlement at Tyneham are visible as earthworks on aerial photographs <6> and Lidar imagery <7>. These features were digitally plotted during the South West Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey (Dorset). The most recent comprehensive aerial photographs available to the project indicate that the western area of these earthworks has now been destroyed by the constuction of a modern car park <8>.

<1> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 2, 303 (Monograph). SDO149.

‘(8) SETTLEMENT REMAINS, formerly part of Tyneham (879800 to 882803), cover 3 acres or more S. from a point 100 yds. S. of the church. Eight long, narrow closes are bounded to the S. by an almost straight bank about 25 ft. wide and an outer ditch about 15 ft. across and 1½ ft. deep with a flat bottom 3 ft. wide. The closes are separated by banks 12 ft. to 15 ft. broad and 9 ins. to 2 ft. high or by scarps mostly about 2 ft. high, suggesting that some had been extensively ploughed. Widths vary from 27 ft. to 66 ft. and two complete closes are 180 ft. and 255 ft. long, giving areas of 1/5 acre and 2/5 acre. A further close contiguous on the S.E., at 88268022, may have had others, almost destroyed, W. of it. Six plots 330 yds. W.S.W. of this, 42 ft. to 48 ft. wide by up to 150 ft., are divided by low, spread banks about 13 ft. across; these may be the ends of further closes conceivably connected with the above series.’

<2> Mills, A D, 1977, English Place-Name Society : the survey of English place-names [county volumes] Dorset, 102 (Monograph). SWX2586.

<3> Barton, J G, Various, Field Investigators Comments JGB, F1 JGB 04-AUG-81 (Unpublished document). SDO11900.

<4> Papworth, M D J, Trust for Wessex Archaeology, 1983, Isle of Purbeck Survey, IOP 139 (Index). SDO147.

‘Eight closes visible in permanent pasture. Evidence of heavy ploughing in antiquity. 7/7/C.’

<5> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, Externally held archive: RCH01/093 RCHME Inventory: Dorset II (South-East) (Unpublished document). SDO17434.

<6> Royal Air Force, 21-JAN-1945, RAF 106G/LA/105 2028-29 (Aerial Photograph). SDO12953.

<7> Channel Coastal Observatory, 23-MAR-2008, Lidar (Photograph). SDO12878.

<8> XX-XXX-2009, Google Earth (Aerial Photograph). SDO12705.

<9> National Record of the Historic Environment, 455522 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Oct 21 2023 7:48AM