Monument record MDO20762 - Little Mayne deserted medieval settlement, West Knighton

(Centred SY 724872). The settlement earthworks to the north and west of Little Mayne Farm have been surveyed on 1:2500 (see
survey plan with SY 78 NW 24). <1>

SY 723871. Remains of Little Mayne settlement extend over 5 acres, west, south west and north of Little Mayne Farm. The first documentary reference to Little Mayne (Parva Maene) seems to be in 1201-2, though 'Maine' is found in Domesday Book. Hutchins records a free chapel of St. Stephen here; its earliest recorded rector being instituted in 1326 and the last in 1491. Scarped closes lie north of the farm around a well-marked hollow-way, 2 ft. deep, running north between low banks, small sarsen stones protrude from the crest and scarp on the east. The hollow-way meets a slight double bend in the hedgeline at SY 72478729 but cannot be traced north of this.

Warne referred to the hollow-way as a 'straight avenue' connecting with former stone circles but it is far more likely to be Medieval. There is no evidence to support the suggestion, by Sykes <3.3> that the lower parts of stone walling of the cottage at SY 723871 belong to the former chapel of St. Stephen; the walls are only 19ins. thick and therefore unlikely to be Medieval. <3-4>

The surviving earthworks of Little Mayne are generally as described by RCHM <3>. They are poorly defined except for two terraces centred SY 72378717. The remains of the alleged Chapel were demolished about 1960 and the site is occupied by cattle pens. Terraces transferred at 1:2500 on to M.S.D. <5>

A deserted medieval settlement and associated field system, including ridge and furrow, are visible as earthworks and cropmarks on aerial photographs, to the north, east and south-west of Little Mayne Farm. <8-11>

<1> Swatridge, G C, Various, Field Investigators Comments GCS, F1 GCS 25-AUG-54 (Unpublished document). SWX1169.

<2> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 6in, 1963 (Map). SWX1540.

(SY 72298713) Chapel (NR) (remains of) (NAT)

<3> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 1, 140 (Monograph). SDO148.

‘(20) Little Mayne, settlement remains (723871), cover over 5 acres W., S.W. and N. of Little Mayne Farm, from which the ground galls gently to the S. and S.W. The bedrock N., S. and E. of the farm is Upper Chalk but the farm itself and the area immediately W. are on Reading Beds. Many large sarsens of normal Reading Beds type are scattered about (see p. 513). The first documentary reference to Little Mayne (Parva Maene) seems to be in 1201-2, though ‘Maine’ is found in Domesday Book. The name is plausibly linked with the Welsh maen, ‘ a stone’ (Fägersten, 154). Hutchins records are free chapel of St. Stephen: its earliest recorded rector was instituted in 1326 and the last in 1491; the living was a sinecure (Hutchins II, 503; see also Monument 18). An estate map, now in D.C.R.O., shows that in 1742 the boundary with the manor of West Knighton ran N. along the hollow-way, described below, from Little Mayne Farm.

Scarped closes lie N. of the farm around a well-marked hollow-way, 2 ft. deep, running N. between low banks. Small sarsen stones protrude from the crest and scarp on the E. It could not be traced N. of the slight double bend in the hedge which it meets at 72478729. Warne calls it a ‘straight avenue’ and would link it with former stone circles, but it is far more likely to be mediaeval (C. Warne, ‘Illustrations of the History of Dorset’ (1847), 232 (MS in D.C.M.); Dorset Procs. LIX (1937), 28). (R.A.F. V.A.P. CPE/UK 1934 : 1053-4).’

<3.1> Shipp, W, and Hodson, J W (eds), 1863, The History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset. 3rd edition. Volume 2, 503 (Monograph). SWX1269.

<3.2> Warne, C, 1847, Illustrations for History of Dorset (Ms in Dorset Co Mus) (Unpublished document). SDO20425.

<3.3> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1938, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1937, 26-29 (Serial). SDO40.

<4> Beresford, M, and Hurst, J G, 1971, Deserted Medieval Villages, 186 (Monograph). SWX1568.

<5> Barton, J G, Various, Field Investigators Comments JGB, F2 JGB 26-NOV-79 (Unpublished document). SDO11900.

<5.1> Denning, R C, Oral: Mr R C Denning (owner), Little Mayne Farm, West Knighton (Verbal communication). SDO20424.

<6> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1994, Medieval Village Research Group Index, PRN 502 (Index). SDO16386.

<7> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, Externally held archive: RCH01/093 RCHME Inventory: Dorset II (South-East) (Unpublished document). SDO17434.

<8> Royal Air Force, 22-JAN-1948, RAF/CPE/UK/2431 4251-3 (Aerial Photograph). SDO10823.

<9> Royal Air Force, 17-JAN-1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1934 1053-5 (Aerial Photograph). SDO10822.

<10> Royal Air Force, 09-MAR-1948, RAF/CPE/UK/2475 4008-10 (Aerial Photograph). SDO10821.

<11> Royal Air Force, 04-NOV-1946, RAF/CPE/UK/1824 4263-5 (Aerial Photograph). SDO10820.

<12> National Record of the Historic Environment, 454020 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Jan 4 2024 4:01PM