Monument record MDO4351 - Deserted medieval settlement on the western side of the Milborne Brook, Milborne St Andrew

The remains of a medieval settlement visible as earthworks of paddocks and closes. The original name and date of desertion of the village are not known. The eastern edge of the settlement has been disturbed by later canalization of the brook. Features associated with the medieval settlement are visible as earthworks on lidar imagery and were digitally recorded during the Dorset Upper Cerne and Piddle AIM Project.

SY 802963. Settlemment remains on west side of Milborne Brook. Scheduled. (See illust for scheduled area). <2>

SY 802963. DMV of St Andrew in Milborne. Listed. <3>

The name Milborne St Andrew first mentioned in this form in 1294 seems to have originally applied only to the south half of the present parish; the southern most part of which comprised the manor of Milborne Church(s)ton, probably identical with Milborne Develish mentioned 1617, which belonged to Dewlish liberty. This settlement is perhaps represented by the Medieval remains 3/4 mile south of the village (see Authy 1). The affixes - St Andrew - Androston, mentioned 1544, and - Church(s)ton, mentioned 1280, are from St Andrew's Church (see SY 89 NW 68). Milborne Abbatston, recorded 1512 and 1611, was thought by Hutchins to have been 'probably the same' as Milborne St Andrew; the latter was granted to Milton Abbey in 934 and belonged to Cerne in the 16th century. <4>

SY 802963. Settlement remains on west side of Milborne Brook. Scheduled. <5>

Settlement remains centred at SY 802963, cover an area of approximately 2.5 ha. And are generally as described by RCHM (1). The field is in pasture and the remains are fairly well preserved. Traces of settlement further north, in the field centred at SY 80209680 are fragmentary and unsurveyable, though one or two well-spread close boundaries are visible. Settlement at SY 802963 surveyed at 1:2500 on M.S.D. from RCHM plan (1). <5>

Features associated with the medieval settlement are visible as earthworks on lidar imagery and were digitally recorded during the Dorset Upper Cerne and Piddle AIM Project. <12>

<1> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume III (Central) Part 1, 178-179 (Monograph). SDO146.

‘(13) ENCLOSURE AND SETTLEMENT REMAINS (802963) lie on the W. side of the Milborne Brook, on gently sloping ground, ¾ m. S. of the village. The settlement is at least in part medieval, but its name and the date of desertion are completely unknown. It may have been part of Milborne St. Andrew or of Churchton (Hutchins II, 591-2) and its desertion was possibly due to movement of the village from along the brook to the Dorchester-Blandford road (cf. Winterborne Whitechurch (15)).

The main feature of the site is a rectangular enclosure of 2 acres, bounded by banks and scarps up to 3 ft. high, with internal sub-divisions resulting in at least six small, almost square paddocks (Plate 183). The three N. paddocks have scarped and banked plots within them, perhaps building platforms. In the N.E. paddock is a rectangular area bounded by low banks and scarps with an entrance on the N., and a similar feature is cut into the W. side of the S.W. paddock; these are the remains of buildings. On the E. side of the N.E. paddock is an oval embanked depression 1½ ft. deep, with an entrance on the S.E. Similar enclosures occur at Charminster (25) and Dewlish (7).

To the N. of the enclosure, along the Milborne Brook, are a series of small closes bounded by scarps and banks. The remains are much disturbed, especially at the E. ends, by canalization of the brook which now runs from 30 yds. to 70 yds. W. of its former bed. One certain house site occurs near the N.E. corner of the enclosure; other house sites may have been destroyed by the canalization. The closes at the N. end of the site are cut by a ditch, probably a mill leet, which appears to be a late feature of the site. Air photographs (R.A.F. CPE/UK 1934: 4115-6) show slight traces of further closes extending northwards for at least 350 yds. to the edge of the present village, but they are too much disturbed for interpretation. Sherds of medieval scratch-marked ware have been found on the site.’

<2> Department of the Environment, Department of the Environment (Inspector of Ancient Monuments) Record Form, 1971 (Index). SDO17344.

<3> Medieval Village Research Group, 1976, Medieval Village Research Group Annual Report, 55 (Serial). SDO19588.

<4> Mills, A D, 1977, The place-names of Dorset, Part 1, 306-7 (Monograph). SWX2852.

<5> Department of the Environment, 1978, Department of the Environment (IAM) Ancient Monuments of England (Vol 2), 82 (Monograph). SWX1687.

<6> Barton, J G, Various, Field Investigators Comments JGB, F1 JGB 02-JUN-81 (Unpublished document). SDO11900.

<7> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1994, Medieval Village Research Group Index, PRN 510 (Index). SDO16386.

<8> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, Externally held archive: RCH01/096 RCHME Inventory: Dorset III (Central), 881021 (Unpublished document). SDO17384.

RCHME: Milborne Medieval Settlement, Dorset

<9> Historic England, Historic England Archive, BB76/07704 (Index). SDO14738.

PLAN OF EXTENSIVE EARTHWORKS POSSIBLY REPRESENTING PART OF MEDIEVAL MILBORNE ST ANDREW OR CHURCHTON

<10> Historic England, Historic England Archive (Index). SDO14738.

<11> National Record of the Historic Environment, 455894 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

<12> Environment Agency, 15-DEC-2023, LIDAR Environment Agency DTM (Aerial Photograph). SDO20691.

Record last edited

Sep 12 2024 2:20PM