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 past 1500 years or more.
The South Midlands local region is large, and capable of further subdivision.
Strongly banded from south west to north east, it comprises a broad succession
of clay vales and limestone or marlstone ridges, complicated by local drifts
which create many subtle variations in terrain. The region is in general
dominated by nucleated villages of medieval origin, with isolated farmsteads,
mostly of post-medieval date, set in the spaces between them. Depopulated
village sites are common, and moated sites are present on the claylands.
Details
The monument includes the remains of Seacourt medieval settlement,
situated within two separate areas of protection, on either side of the
cutting of the Oxford Western By-pass. The site is bounded to the east by
the Seacourt Stream, sometimes called the Wytham Stream, and to the west
by the edge of Marleywood Plantation which appears to follow the edge of
the original settlement boundary. The results of limited excavation in
1939 prior to the road cutting, together with more recent field evaluation
work and aerial photographs of the low visible earthworks, confirm the
extent of the settlement, as well as the survival of associated buried
remains which date from the period between 1300 and 1400.
The settlement, or village, is laid out around several hollow ways or
streets, the most prominent of which runs roughly north to south to the
west of the modern road. Arranged along these hollow ways are at least
nine house platforms which vary in size from less than 10 sq m to over 40m
in width and an associated pattern of enclosures. Also visible is the site
of the church (partly excavated in 1939), which saw the appointment of its
last incumbent in the early 15th century at a time when the village was
already in decline. Seacourt's decline is believed to be directly linked
to the rise in size and prosperity of Oxford and a corresponding
depopulation of the surrounding countryside.
All post and wire field boundary fences and the boundary fences along the
by-pass 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:
30830
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
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
