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Deserted medieval village at Darknoll Farm is a scheduled ancient monument located in Dorset, representing the remains of a settlement abandoned during the medieval period. The site preserves earthwork evidence of the former village layout, including the characteristic ridge-and-furrow patterns and house platforms that indicate medieval occupation and agricultural use. Such deserted medieval villages became common across England following economic and social disruptions in the later medieval period, particularly from the fourteenth century onwards, when factors including plague, enclosure movements, and agricultural change led to the abandonment of numerous rural settlements. The archaeological remains at Darknoll Farm constitute an important record of medieval rural life and the processes of settlement change that shaped the English landscape.
Deserted medieval village at Darknoll Farm is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1002379. View the official record →
Deserted medieval village at Darknoll Farm is a scheduled ancient monument located in Dorset, representing the remains of a settlement abandoned during the medieval period.
Deserted medieval village at Darknoll Farm is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1002379.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Earthworks SE of Park Wood, including round barrow (7.7 km), Bowl barrow on Green Hill 350m north west of Keepers Cottage (8 km), Earthworks on Houghton South Down, including group of three round barrows (8.1 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Deserted medieval village at Darknoll Farm's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Deserted medieval village at Darknoll Farm stands on West Walton Formation, Ampthill Clay Formation And Kimmeridge Clay Formation (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Kimmeridgian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.