Reasons for Designation
Medieval rural settlements in England were marked by great regional diversity
in form, size and type, and the protection of their archaeological remains
needs to take these differences into account. To do this, England has been
divided into three broad Provinces on the basis of each area's distinctive
mixture of nucleated and dispersed settlements. These can be further divided
into sub-Provinces and local regions, possessing characteristics which have
gradually evolved during the last 1500 years or more.
This monument lies in the West Wessex sub-Province of the Central Province, an
area characterised by large numbers of villages and hamlets within
countrysides of great local diversity, ranging from flat marshland to hill
ridges. Settlements range from large, sprawling villages to tiny hamlets, a
range extended by large numbers of scattered dwellings in the extreme east and
west of the sub-Province. Cultivation in open townfields was once present, but
early enclosure was commonplace. The physical diversity of the landscape was,
by the time of Domesday Book in 1086, linked with great variations in the
balance of cleared land and woodland.
The South Dorset local region is a diverse countryside comprising the South
Dorset Downs and narrow limestone ridges and clay vales which curve around the
chalk escarpments. Settlement is characterised by low concentrations of
scattered farmsteads, and small villages and hamlets: ancient settlements
whose arable fields were, on the evidence of Domesday Book, set among
substantial tracts of pasture and woodland in the 11th century.
Details
The monument includes the site of the medieval settlement of Waterston, which
lies to the west of Waterston House, situated on the southern terrace of the
River Piddle. This is one of several medieval settlements within the Piddle
Valley mentioned in the Domesday Survey.
The site, which was recorded by the Royal Commission on the Historical
Monuments of England in 1970, survives as a series of earthworks which extend
over an area of about 2ha. The settlement area occupies the elevated area of
the river terrace, it is aligned south east by north west and includes six
artificial platforms which range between 10m and 30m in length and between 10m
and 20m in width. These represent `closes' or individual property plots. To
the north, a terrace representing a road 5m wide runs along the edge of the
settlement. There is a series of low earthworks on the floodplain of the river
which relate to water meadows, and to the north west, also on the floodplain,
is a large fishpond which is also likely to be contemporary with the medieval
settlement. These features are included in the scheduling.
Historical documentation records 18 taxpayers in 1327, 12 men in 1539 and ten
households in 1662, suggesting a relatively stable population throughout the
period. The date and cause of the final abandonment is uncertain, but it would
seem to have been a gradual process.
All gates and fence posts relating to the modern field boundaries are excluded
from the scheduling, although the ground beneath these features is included.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
33170
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Books and journals Other
Legal
This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
End of official list entry
