Place record MDO811 - Planned town, Charmouth

Medieval planned town. Charmouth was founded in AD 1320 when the Abbot of Forde created a free borough. The general lay out of the town can be traced in some of the burgage plots, especially on the north side of the town. A boundary bank also survives.

The New Town of Charmouth dates from AD 1320, when the Abbot of Forde created a free borough, granting certain rights to improve his manor of Charminster. The burgages were to be 66 feet by 330 feet, and the burgesses were obliged to use the Abbots mill and attend his court at the Guildhall. The town boundaries include references to a monks mill, the church, a pillory and a cross on the road to Lyme Regis. The general lay-out of the medieval town can still be traced to some extent. On the north the burgage plots survive and the limits of the town are clearly marked by property boundaries, including stone and rubble walls of uncertain date. There is no trace of a ditch, but an original bank may be preserved in soil build-up. To the south the burgage plots have been eroded, but the town limit is represented by Gardenside (a cul-de-sac). (1, 2) at SY 36269349), and possibly by a short stretch of undated bank (from SY 36649358 to SY 36769359). The market place was undoubtedly the wide main street, and Catherston Manor Farm probably represents the farm mentioned as one of the new town's boundaries in 1320. The site of the Abbot's mill was probably on or next to the existing Mill Cottages, under which the leat ran. A mill existed here until recently, and the mill leat can still be traced. <1> <2>

Royal Air Force, RAF/CPE/UK/2431 3182 (Aerial Photograph). SDO20723.

<1> Penn, K J, 1980, Historic Towns in Dorset, 34-37 (Monograph). SWX1202.

<2> Beresford, J, and Finberg, H P R, 1973, English medieval boroughs: a hand-list, p103 (Bibliographic reference). SWX1175.

<3> Keen, L, 2000, Monastic urban speculation: the Cistercians and medieval Charmouth. Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 17-22 (Article in serial). SWX773.

<3> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 2000, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1999, 17-21 (Serial). SDO11604.

<4> National Record of the Historic Environment, 449782 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Aug 22 2024 4:49PM