Scheduled MonumentsEnglandLength of deer park bank and ditch at Alderholt

Length of deer park bank and ditch at Alderholt

England
List entry 1002394
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1002394
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
0.48 hectares
Grid reference
SU 11425 12783
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic England (NHLE)

Overview

History & significance

The length of deer park bank and ditch at Alderholt is a medieval landscape feature in Dorset comprising an earthwork boundary associated with a documented deer park. The monument consists of a bank and accompanying ditch that formed the enclosure of the park, a form of land management and elite resource exploitation characteristic of the medieval period. Such parks served both practical and aesthetic purposes for landholding families, functioning as enclosed hunting grounds and status symbols. The survival of the earthwork demonstrates the substantial investment required to construct and maintain these aristocratic features across the medieval countryside.

Length of deer park bank and ditch at Alderholt is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1002394. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Length of deer park bank and ditch at Alderholt?

The length of deer park bank and ditch at Alderholt is a medieval landscape feature in Dorset comprising an earthwork boundary associated with a documented deer park. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1002394.

Who is responsible for protecting Length of deer park bank and ditch at Alderholt?

Length of deer park bank and ditch at Alderholt 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 1002394.

What other scheduled monuments are near Length of deer park bank and ditch at Alderholt?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Two bowl barrows 445m south-west of Ordnance Survey triangulation pillar in Ringwood Forest (6.1 km), Bowl barrow 520m south of Ordnance Survey triangulation pillar in Ringwood Forest (6.2 km), Bowl barrow 620m south of Ordnance Survey triangulation pillar in Ringwood Forest (6.3 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Length of deer park bank and ditch at Alderholt

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Length of deer park bank and ditch at Alderholt's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Length of deer park bank and ditch at Alderholt

Length of deer park bank and ditch at Alderholt stands on Bracklesham Group And Barton Group (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Eocene. The rock here is sand, silt and clay.