Monument record MDO43510 - Medieval settlement remains at Norwood Farm, Corscombe

Earthwork remains of a probable Medieval deserted settlement consisting of building platforms and field boundaries. Finds of Roman roof tiles and dark earth may indicate the site of a villa or a kiln.

Roman building material has been found in the area ST 531058. 'A' ST 5303 0589. Roman roof tile found 1937. 'B' ST 5316 0586. Roman roof tiles found 1920. 'C' ST 5302 0582. Half a dozen pieces of tegulae and two pieces of briquettage with slag accretion (a). Most of the finds are in the Dorset County Museum. A fragment of Samian picked up on the farm track is the only piece of pottery known to have been found. <1-2>

'A' Area under pasture, no further indication of settlement found. 'B' The area was ploughed for the first time in October 1976 by the farmer, Mr Dowding, who, with Mr R Lucas, collected post Md (and one possible Md) pot sherds, since deposited in Dorset County Museum. There is a probable building platform, about 15m square and 0.4m high, situated at the bottom of a S facing slope alongside a small stream. To the W, a possible walled enclosure, about 50m E to W by 20m N to S, may be traced by linear spreads of building stone. Small pieces of tile, undatable, post Md and 2 definite Md sherds were found. (Sherds deposited in DCM). Area delineated on 6".
'C' Area under cultivation, no further indication of settlement found. <3>

A: Under pasture, several features noted. In the western half of the field c.17m north of the stream and running parallel to it is a low bank c.5m wide and c. 0.3m high. It appears to run into the west side of a linear hollow, perhaps a drain or hollow-way, which occupies the centre of the field running north-south. This feature deepens at its south end to dimensions of c. 10m wide and c. 1.5m deep. There are two other linear features in the field; one a bank c. 3.5m wide and c. 0.3m high, running north-south c. 40m from the west field lodge; the other, to the east, at right angles to it, a slight south-facing scarp. A probable junction between them has been destroyed by a sub-circular, pond-like hollow c. 12m wide and c. 1m wide. All these features are undated and may relate to former field boundaries. B: Since ploughing, commencing in 1976, this field has been allowed to develop natural vegetation. Destruction of the soil structure has led to the formation of a boggy area covered with sedge and marsh grasses, obscuring features previously observed. Three linear features were visible: one is a length of low bank, c. 4m wide, in the western half of the field running north-south for c. 20m. The second is a bank of similar width and c. 0.5m high running parallel to the first c. 30m to the west. It turns a double right angle before resuming a north-south alignment heading for the south west corner of a barn at Norwoood Farm. A recent hole dug into this bank exposed two sherds of coarse, Medieval pottery. The third feature was another length of bank aligned similarly north-south on the barn at Norwood Farm, but further south towards the stream. These features could be Medieval property boundaries or later field boundaries. A large drainage ditch dug around the north and west margins of the field revealed abundant brick/tile fragments. Those which could be identified were all RB tegulae. Mr. Dowding, of Furlongs, and former owner of Norwood Farm, reports that during ploughing he observed "very dark patches" of soil. Given previous discoveries of RB tile, without finds of any other nature, it is possible that there are kilns here. C: Under plough: no further finds. In the field south east of Norwood Farm, centre SU 05855324, more low banks were observed, trending north-south and east-west. It is possible that together with similar features around A and B they are Post Medieval, and possible Medieval land boundaries. <4>

Settlement remains centred at ST 532058 include close banks and house platforms of a medieval farm or hamlet cover 10 acres. Well preserved on ground. North of the stream in a 'farm' comprising a 50 foot square platform, a 60 foot square yard backed by a close. South of the stream is a house platform 40 by 30 feet and croft by a cobbled track leading to the east of other closes nearby. <5>

Listed as the site of a possible Roman villa. <6>

<1> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1921, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Antiquarian Field Club for 1920, lvi (Serial). SDO17723.

<2> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1956, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1955, 136 (Serial). SDO55.

‘A Romano-British site at Norwood Farm, Corscombe

In 1920 Romano-British earthenware tiles were found at Norwood Farm (ST 532059) [Footnote: Proc., XLII, 1921, p.lvi]. More finds were made nearby in 1937. The location has not been published, but a tracing by Col. C. J. Troyte-Bullock was sent to the Museum [Footnote: D.C.M. Correspondence, 1571, March 1937]. This shows the site of the tiles (tegulae) found in 1920, about the middle of the field west of the path leading south from the farm, and those found in 1937 near the S.E. corner of the next field to the west (O.S., Dorset, 6-in. sheet XX. S.E.). There appears to have been about a hundred yards between the two locations.

Fragments of both roofing and flue-tiles from the site are in the Museum (1937.15.1). There may therefore be a Romano-British building with a heating system. The site is a mile south of the Halstock mosaic (see p. 151), and is in the Great Oolite and Cornbrash area of the Middle Jurassic.’

<2.1> Correspondence with Colonel Drew, Curator of Dorchester County Museum, March 1937 (Unpublished document). SWX1768.

<3> Quinnell, N V, Various, Field Investigators Comments NVQ, F1 NVQ 26-NOV-71 (Unpublished document). SDO11903.

<3.1> Rivet, A L F, Annotated record map 6" (Map). SDO17443.

<4> Chaplin, C P, Various, Field Investigators Comments CC, F2 CC 24-MAR-77 (Unpublished document). SWX3450.

<5> RCHM Unpublished Revision Dorset 1 - West Undated (Unpublished document). SWX1659.

<5.1> Royal Air Force, 22-JAN-1948, RAF/CPE/UK/2431 4378-9 (Aerial Photograph). SDO17722.

<6> Scott, E, 1993, A Gazetteer of Roman villas in Britain, 51-2 (Bibliographic reference). SWX1795.

<7> Historic England, Historic England Archive, AA71/03957 (Index). SDO14738.

FINDS INCLUDING ROOF TILES, TEGULAE AND BRIQUETTAGE INDICATE ROMAN BUILDINGS ON THIS SITE. MD POTTERY HAS ALSO BEEN FOUND

<8> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, Externally held archive: RCH01/088 RCHME Inventory: Dorset I (West) and Revision (Unpublished document). SDO17367.

<9> National Record of the Historic Environment, 195748 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Mar 1 2022 11:17AM