Preface

PREFACE

Volume four of the Commission's Inventory of Dorset describes the Monuments of thirty-four parishes, extending from the extreme north of the County south-eastwards to include the Tarrant Valley. The Monuments (other than Roman Roads and 'Celtic' Fields) are listed in the following order under the names of the Civil Parishes in which they occur: (1) Ecclesiastical Architecture, (2) Secular Architecture, (3) Mediaeval and Later Earthworks, (4) Roman and Prehistoric Monuments, (5) Undated Earthworks etc. 'Celtic' Fields are described extra-parochially at the end of the volume. Roman roads do not appear, being reserved for a comprehensive survey of the Roman roads of the County in the final volume. The parishes are arranged alphabetically, and each parish is prefaced by a short topographical and historical synopsis.

The scope of the Dorset Inventories and the method of their compilation have been explained in preceding volumes (Dorset II, xix–xxii; III, xxi–xxii). Every Monument included in the Inventory has been inspected by one or more of our investigators and the entries relating to Monuments of major importance have been verified in the field; after this the typescript and line-drawings have been scrutinised by my fellow Commissioners; finally the descriptions of important Monuments have been submitted to the incumbents of churches and to the owners of large houses or other property, as appropriate, for comment. Within the limits prescribed by the Royal Warrant, I am confident that no significant Monument dating from before 1850 has been omitted.

I hope that the Commission's decision to provide more line-drawings and correspondingly to shorten the verbal descriptions of certain Monuments will add to the value of the Inventory. In most instances architectural plans, at a uniform scale of 24 ft. to the inch, are hatched to indicate the dates of the various parts of the buildings; key plans of lesser buildings are drawn without hatching at a scale of 48 ft. to the inch. With few exceptions the surveys upon which the maps and plans are based have been made by our investigators. Nearly all the half-tone illustrations are from photographs taken by the Commission's photographers.

Our thanks are due to many public authorities and private persons who have helped in the compilation of the volume. Individual acknowledgements will be found in our twenty-sixth Report, a copy of which appears on pp. xix–xxii below.

The Inventory was checked in the field during 1969 and changes that have taken place since that date are not taken into account. No work of this kind can escape the intrusion of some mistakes, and the Commission will welcome any corrections that may be sent to the Secretary with a view to amendment in a future edition of the Inventory; meanwhile such corrections will be added to the record cards. These records are open for consultation by accredited persons, due notice being given to the Commission's Secretary.

SALISBURY