Corfe Before, During and After the Castle: Reconstructing Historic Landscape Change and Land Use Using Geoarchaeology and Palaeoecology

Multi-analytical research on the western edge of Corfe Castle, Dorset, enabled a reconstruction of the late Holocene landscape and land use from the Early Bronze Age to the present day. Initially, the small tributary of the Corfe River had a low sedimentation rate with scrub-woodland margins, but from the early historic period, herbaceous diversity increased alongside a decrease in woodland. From the mid-8th century CE, acceleration of sedimentation and increased cultivars, managed woodland/grazing, hemp retting and intestinal parasites suggest the development of settlement in the early mediaeval Royal Estate. Occupation continued through the mediaeval period alongside phases of castle construction (11th to 14th century CE) and the reorganisation of Corfe Castle village in CE 1250, resulting in the demarcation of burgage plots. During the post-mediaeval period (CE 1540-1750), there was a reduction in ecological biodiversity, possibly relating to the slighting of the castle after CE 1650. From CE 1750 to 1950, the burgage plots contained evidence of the development of distinctive hortisols reflecting the historical records of domestic ownership in the village into the modern period. This research has provided a detailed geoarchaeological assessment of landscape and land use change around a major mediaeval castle and urban centre in southern England.