Monument record MDO7777 - Lytchett Matravers deer park

Banked and ditched features visible as broken earthworks on lidar imagery are considered to possibly be the remains of the medieval park pale of Litchett Deer Park and were digitally plotted during the Dorset Middle Stour AIM project.

A deer park at Lytchett Matravers is mentioned in a 1583 survey of Dorset parks as "Litchett park Mr Henry Trenchard lorde thereof ... no dere kept there .... but one mare kept there according to the Assize of the Statute". <2> Remains of a park pale are visible in the area of Old Park (see illustration card for details). <3> The only documentary evidence for a park at Lytchett Matravers is the 1583 inventory (see Authy 2). The outline of the park is clearly defined and encloses about 320 acres (see illustration card for details). <4-5> Almost the whole of the course of the park pale is traceable; in many places well-defined, in others marked by modern hedgebanks. For details see annotation on illustration 6". Extant parts surveyed at 1:2500 on M.S.D. The banks P-Q and R-S (see illustration card) do not appear to be remains of a park pale, but are modern hedgebanks and ditches. <6> Banked and ditched features visible as broken earthworks on lidar imagery are considered to possibly be the remains of the medieval park pale of Litchett Deer Park and were digitally plotted during the Dorset Middle Stour AIM project <9>

Record last edited

Nov 13 2023 1:50PM