Details

The monument includes the remains of a medieval hunting lodge situated on the
eastern extremity of a ridge at Church Place in the New Forest.
The location of the lodge is indicated by earthwork banks and an external
ditch which enclose a sub-rectangular raised platform measuring approximately
35m north to south and a maximum of 40m east to west. The banks are up to 4.5m
in width and approximately 0.6m in height. A widening of the bank at the north
eastern corner of the platform and a slight projection into the ditch possibly
represent the location of a structure, whilst a break in the southern bank up
to 10m in width probably indicates the site of the original entrance.
Fragmentary traces of an external ditch measuring a maximum of 3m in width and
up to 0.3m in depth are visible, particularly on the northern and western
sides of the platform. The southern and eastern sides of the monument have
been disturbed by tree planting and erosion.
Additonal earthworks are associated with this monument, notably park pales
occur to the west, and are the subject of separate schedulings.
Documents record that Edward III spent time in the New Forest during the
summer of 1366, for which reason repairs were made to several lodges, one of
which was referred to as Houndesdoun. The occurrence of a similar name in
close proximity to Church Place and the similarity of the earthworks to other
known lodge sites suggest that Houndesdoun and Church Place are one and the
same.

MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.
It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features,
considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

Forests in the medieval period were tracts of land subject to forest law,
and generally outside the common law of the land. In fact, the term `forest',
by today's meaning, is something of a misnomer as only about one-fifth of
legal forest was actually woodland. Forest law was a system devised to
preserve, for the king's amusement and profit, certain designated animals and
the trees and pasture which provided shelter and sustenance for them. The main
animals hunted were fallow deer, red deer, roe deer and wild boar. Forests
had special officials and courts assigned to them; the laws were strictly
enforced and provided the king with a steady income from rents, goods and
fines. However, the management and exploitation of forest resources also
entailed some expenditure. Game were often enclosed within a park pale, a
massive fenced or hedged bank, sometimes with an internal ditch, and hunting
lodges, usually moated, were built in the forests to provide temporary
accommodation for visiting royalty or nobility.
Like deer parks, the establishment of hunting forests peaked between the end
of the 12th and the middle of the 14th centuries, at which point it is
estimated to have covered a third of England. The creation of royal forest led
to significant changes in the landscape, including the abandonment and
destruction of many existing villages and farms.
Whilst documentary sources indicate that there were at least five hunting
lodges in Hampshire forests other than the New Forest, possible locations for
only two have been identified. Therefore, the seven lodge sites in the New
Forest, which are well documented, combined with well preserved stretches
of pale, represent a rare and unusually complete survival. As a group, these
remains provide a rare opportunity to understand the management, development
and use of a royal forest. As a consequence, all components with significant
surviving remains are considered to be of national importance.

The hunting lodge at Church Place survives in good condition with little
significant disturbance. Surviving archaeological deposits will provide
information about the construction, layout and use of the lodge. They will
also provide an insight into its economy and the possible factors leading to
its eventual decline and abandonment. The location of the lodge in close
proximity to a campsite and public footpath gives it added significance as a
potential public amenity, and its relationship to other surviving components
of the hunting forest, notably a park pale to the west, will provide further
opportunities to understand their relationship and function.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Colvin, H M, The History of the King's Works, (1963)
Sumner, H, The Ancient Earthworks of the New Forest, (1917)
Other
Hampshire County Council, SU 30 NW 37,
Holyoak, V, Cut through NE corner of bank, (1998)
Holyoak, V, Cut through W bank, (1998)
Stamper, P.A., Unpublished thesis, 1983,

Source: Historic England