Settlement Remains
Winterbourne Steepleton
Although the remains are less distinct today, in 1970, the RCHM completed a detailed survey and the notes below are taken from this (Vol II Pt 2 p 396) :
There are very disturbed remains to the west of the village covering about 3 acres.
There a series of small strip lynchets (c) which are transversed by a trackway (footpath from rear of mill to top of North Hill).
East of the present Manor House there are banks (b) about 0.5m / 0.75m in height once forming five or so enclosures. These remain as bays some 55m - 110m wide.
To the east to the Church, there was evidence of earthworks (a) representing past dwellings all now disappeared from immediate view. There were two large enclosures on the south facing slope with banks 6m across, 1.2m high and with ditches some 3m wide.
It would interesting to learn if evidence of past buildings within these enclosures were encountered when the present houses were built presumably in the later 1970's.
Note the three large field names :
West / Middle / East
Deserted Village : Further to the east of Steepleton village there is Rew, which is in the neighbouring Winterborne St Martin (Martinstown) parish. This is now a very small hamlet consisting of Rew Manor and a number of surrounding isolated houses.
Rew appears as La Rewe in 1283 and Rewe later in 1528. The name derives from the Old english raew1 - a row of houses or trees.
Ronald Good in his Deserted Villages p 23 notes that an earlier essay by P W Lock notes the Rew was also known as Orchard. *
The RCHM2 notes that the settlement remains are immediately south west of Rew Manor and consists of banked and scarped enclosures covering 5 acres for almost a quarter of a mile along the north bank of the South Winterbourne. (explaining the name Rew as Row). The settlement appears to occupy an area approximately 55 metres wide rising on a level some 9 metres above the stream. At the west end a block of large closes are suggested as being part of a Manor house complex.
Below : Modern OS mapping uses the name Orchard but the origin of this name is uncertain apart from the note above *
< Left : View of the settlement remains noted as Orchard above taken March 2012 (RC)
(looking east towards Martinstown)
< Closer view showing remaining banks
RC March 2012
In the ARCHI UK database (at 12/2017) there are the following : (none seen as yearly sub required !)
1) Medieval : Site of Abbey; Winterbourne Steepleton (distance 4.4km ??)
2) Roman : Site of Roman cemetery; Winterbourne Abbas (distance 6.4km)
3) Roman : Site of possible Roman Fort; Winterbourne Steepleton (distance 4.5km)
4) Roman : Site of Roman signal station; Winterbourne Steepleton (distance 4.5km) (see Early History section)
Sources :
1 - Dorset Place Names A D Mills p126
2 - Vol II Pt 2 p 393