Monument record MDO47712 - Medieval deer park, Lulworth Park, East Lulworth

The earthworks of a medieval park pale, enclosing an area of approximately 225 hectares in Lulworth Park. The surviving sections survive for a distance of approximately 3,500 metres and comprise a bank up to 9 metres wide and 1 metre high with an inner bank.

"In the time of the Newburghs here (Lulworth Castle) was a park, which was enlarged by the Howards. It was disparked in Hutchin's time,and turned into several farms; but has since been restored and entirely enclosed by a wall" (3). (The Newburghs appear to have been at Lulworth from about 1299-1300 to 1516-17). Thomas Lord Howard had licence 2 Jac I (1604-5) to impark, 1,000 acres, part of which is included in the present park, surrounded by a wall about 4 miles in circumference erected by the late Thomas Weld. James I hunted in the park in 1615. Cokers survey mentions that the park stretched as far as Bindon. <1> "It appears unlikely that there was a true Medieval park at Lulworth. The earliest reference to Lulworth Park is in Gerard's Survey of Dorset (1625-1634) and nothing was found here to suggest the existence of an earlier embanked park". <2> The bank and ditch of a typical Medieval park pale partly encloses an area of approximately 225 ha., mainly within the present boundary of East Lulworth park, which is assumed to have been laid out in 1790. The extant portions of the pale total approximately 3,500 metres, and those now destroyed probably about 2,400 metres. The extant parts are as follows (see annotated plan-filed with AO surveys). 'A' - 'B'. SY 85078191 - SY 84768194. A bank and in part an inner ditch, 8.0m. to 9.0m. wide overall, 1.0m. high, with a break at SY 84848194 probably caused by a sewage tank outlet. 'C' - 'D'. SY 84168183 - SY 84058210. A low, spread bank, 8.0m. wide and 0.4m. high, a continuation of 'D' - 'E'. 'D' - 'E'. SY 84058210 - SY 83868237 - SY 84468285. A bank and inner ditch, followed by a parish boundary, 9.0m. wide ovarall, the bank 1.5m. high. 'E' - 'F'. SY 84468285 - SY 84368294. A bank 6.0m. wide; the ditch has probably been ploughed out. 'F' - 'G'. SY 84368924 - SY 84998342. No trace, but in spite of angular turns the defaced parish boundary may represent the course. 'G' - 'H'. SY 84998342 - SY 85258363 - SY 85998245. S bank and ditch 9.0m. wide overall, the bank up to 1.5m. high. From SY 85258363 to SY 85358347 the ditch is on the outside. There is a break of 50 metres at Wareham Gates. Surveyed at 1:2500 on M.S.D. <3> A medieval deer park pale at East Lulworth. Scheduled. <4> Earthworks associated with the park pale of Lulworth Park landscape park are visible on aerial photographs taken in 1945-6 <5-7>. The site was digitally plotted during the Wild Purbeck Mapping Project, it is now under modern plantation and no longer visible on recent Google Earth images.

Record last edited

Jan 10 2024 7:20PM