Monument record MDO5321 - Medieval settlement, Winterborne Whitechurch

Earthwork remains of a deserted Medieval settlement consisting of closes, building platforms and a hollow-way. The settlement remains cover an area of 20 hectares to either side of the Winterborne Brook and were digitially recorded during the Dorset Middle Frome AIM.

(15) Settlement Remains (839998), formerly part of Whitechurch, lie on either side of the Winterborne brook, S of the present village. There is no documentary evidence that Whitechurch has ever been deserted and the remains indicate a change in the village morphology, from original settlement along the N-S stream to later settlement along the Dorchester-Blandford Road. The change probably took place over a long period of time but it is likely to have been accelerated in 1752 when the road became a turnpike; even now the process is not complete since West Farm and cottages at Lower Street still represent the former layout. The remains consist of twenty-seven long closes, ten on the W of the stream and seventeen on the E. They measure from 70yds to 190yds in length and from 30 yds to 45 yds in width and are bounded by low banks up to 15ft wide, and up to 3ft high. At the uphill ends are quarries and some poorly defined rectangular platforms measuring about 35ft by 45ft. At the lower ends are uneven depressions and at least four fairly well-preserved building platforms, each measuring some 30ft by 50ft. Strip fields belonging to the village are visible in areas SY 841990 and SY 837997. <1>

SY 840996. Deserted Medieval village at West Farm is a field showing distinct house platforms - flint walls show through the turf. Scheduled (see scheduling area plan) <2>

Well defined closes and building platforms belonging to the deserted Medieval sites are clearly visible on air photographs in area SY 839998. <3>

Desertion originally covered about 12.5 ha., including 2.0 ha. at SY 839995, separated from the main body by West Farm. This, the scheduled area, is under pasture and incorporates two possible house platforms (A & B on plan), a short hollow way, and some nebulous scarps up to 0.4m. high. To the W. an embanked dry pond and a rectilinear field with a ditch on the W. side are possibly of later construction. The major area of desertion was in the non-scheduled area, centred at SY 839998, to E. and W. of the River Winterborne. Clear on AP's (Authy 3) and extant at the time of the R.C.H.M. report, the E. side has now been ploughed out and much of the W. side smoothed, the residue amounting to 1.5 ha., centred at SY 838997. Parts of five closes remain in pasture, some subdivided, with banks and scarps averaging 0.3m. high. Associated house platforms, at the upper, W. ends, are almost all truncated by the encroachment of Rook Lane. Strip fields mentioned by Authy. 1 are now destroyed. Surveyed at 1:2500 on M.S.D. <4>

The settlement remains cover an area of 20 hectares to either side of the Winterborne Brook and were recorded digitially from aerial photographs and lidar imagery <7-9> during the Dorset Middle Frome AIM.

<1> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume III (Central) Part 2, 312 (Monograph). SDO136.

‘(15) SETTLEMENT REMAINS (839998), formerly part of Whitechurch, lie on either side of the Winterborne brook, S. of the present village. There is no documentary evidence that Whitechurch has ever been deserted and the remains indicate a change in the village morphology, from original settlement along the N.-S. stream to later settlement along the Dorchester-Blandford Road (cf. Milborne St. Andrew (13)). The change probably took place over a long period of time but it is likely to have been accelerated in 1752 when the road became a turnpike; even now the process is not complete since West Farm (4) and cottages (14) at Lower Street still represent the former layout. The remains consist of twenty-seven long closes, ten on the W. of the stream and seventeen on the E. They measure from 70 yds. to 190 yds. in length and from 30 yds. to 45 yds. in width and are bounded by low banks up to 15 ft. wide, and up to 3 ft. high. At the uphill ends are quarries and some poorly defined rectangular platforms measuring about 35 ft. by 45 ft. At the lower ends are uneven depressions and at least four fairly well-preserved building platforms, each measuring some 30 ft. by 50 ft.’

<2> Department of the Environment, DOE (IAM) Ancient Monuments Record Form, 21.4.78 (Index). SDO17347.

<3> Royal Air Force, 16-JAN-1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1934 5119-20 (Aerial Photograph). SDO19692.

<4> Quinnell, N V, Various, Field Investigators Comments NVQ, F1 NVQ 27-JUL-81 (Unpublished document). SDO11903.

<5> Wright J, 1998, 11 Kv Cable Installation and Related Works, Lower Farm, Winterborne Whitechurch, Dorset. Archaeological watching brief (Unpublished document). SDO14324.

‘… the only feature exposed was a chalk surface, probably part of a yard. The pottery recovered was unstratified but close to this surface and suggests a post-medieval date. A spread of soil and in places chalk, had been used to raise the farmyard to its present level. The foundations of one of the present buildings can be seen cut into this layer.’

<6> National Record of the Historic Environment, 456037 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

<7> Royal Air Force, 17-JAN-1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1934 V 5119 (Aerial Photograph). SDO19876.

<8> Environment Agency, 16-NOV-2021, LIDAR Environment Agency DTM (Aerial Photograph). SDO18034.

<9> National Monuments Record, 03-JAN-2007, NMR 24523/39 (Aerial Photograph). SDO19877.

Record last edited

Jun 17 2023 5:14PM