Monument record MDO8371 - Shrunken village south east of Eastington, Worth Matravers

SY 98377777. Settlement remains, immediately south east of Eastington Farm, lie at the head of a deep combe on ground sloping gently east. Very disturbed contiguous rectangular platforms, with scarps up to 3ft high, include at least five which are likely to have been house sites. These lie within about 1/2 acre but further traces of large scarped closes to the east cover some 3 acres. (see plan with SY 97 NE 14). <1>

SY 983778. Eastington Farm is derived from 'Estinton' first mentioned in 1209. <2>

These rather amorphous remains survive as described but lie too close to the Eastington Farm complex to be included on the OS 1:2500. Now owned by the National Trust, and part occupied by Mr James, Renscombe Farm, Worth Maltravers. <5>

The site is not considered to merit scheduling. <6>

Earthworks associated with the shrunken medieval settlement at Eastington Farm are visible as earthworks on lidar <7-8>. They were digitally plotted during the South West Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey (Dorset).

<1> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 2, 415 (Monograph). SDO149.

‘(30) Settlement Remains (98377777), immediately S.E. of Eastington Farm (19), lie at the head of a deep combe on ground sloping down gently E. from about 430 ft. above O.D. Very disturbed contiguous rectangular platforms, with scarps up to 3 ft. high, include at least five which are likely to have been house sites. These lie within about ½ acre but further traces of large scarped closes to the E. cover some 3 acres.
From a point 60 yds. to the S.E. of the platforms three broad sloping terraces drop to the combe floor with scarps some 9 ft. to 16 ft. high; they are now under pasture but have probably been developed by cultivation and other usage on natural shelves. On the middle terrace lie three 'pillow mounds' (see below, 32a-c) and a roughly rectangular platform measuring about 18 ft. by 7 ft. Immediately below in rather marshy ground are traces of two adjoining rectangular enclosures measuring about 54 ft. by 48 ft. and 30 ft. by 18 ft.
The combe floor and its E. slopes to the S. of these remains are very uneven. The lowest portion of the combe has apparently been ploughed for a short time in recent years. A D-shaped pound enclosed by dry-stone walling lies 150 yds. S.E. of the settlement immediately above a spring at 98527770. (R.A.F. V.A.P. CPE/UK 1821: 3400–1.)’

<2> Mills, A D, 1977, The place-names of Dorset, Part 1: the Isle of Purbeck, the hundreds of Rowbarrow, Hasler, Winfrith, Culliford Tree, Bere Regis, Barrow, Puddletown St George, 64 (Monograph). SWX972.

<3> Papworth, M D J, Trust for Wessex Archaeology, 1983, Isle of Purbeck Survey, IOP 262 (Index). SDO147.

‘Land regularly ploughed to the E. and W. of the farm buildings. Land to the S. is in permanent pasture. 7/7/C.’

<4> Papworth M, 1994, Eastington, Acton, Westwood, Wilkswood, New Barn, Corfe Castle Estate, Wessex Region, 38 (Unpublished document). SWX1388.

The remains of a settlement lie immediately south-east of Eastington Farm at the head of a deep combe sloping gently east. Very disturbed contiguous rectangular platforms, with scarps up to 1m high include at least five which are likely to have been building sites. These lie within 0.4 hectares of land. Eastington is probably one of the three ’Worth’ manors mentioned in the Domesday book of 1086 containing two or three smallholders. Several buildings are shown here in Treswell’s map of 1585 when it is described as ‘the scite of ye mannor’. The manor merged with Langton Wallis and became a farm in the 18th century. See 110,194, 112,075, and 112,076.

<5> Wardale, C F, Various, Field Investigators Comments CFW, F1 CFW 24-JAN-86 (Unpublished document). SWX2704.

<6> English Heritage, English Heritage Alternative Action Report (Scheduling record). SDO18279.

<7> Channel Coastal Observatory, 23-MAR-2008, Lidar (Photograph). SDO12878.

<8> Channel Coastal Observatory, 25-FEB-2009, Lidar (Aerial Photograph). SDO12879.

<9> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, Externally held archive: RCH01/093 RCHME Inventory: Dorset II (South-East) (Unpublished document). SDO17434.

<10> National Record of the Historic Environment, 456481 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Apr 17 2023 7:12AM