A MEDIEVAL settlement will be preserved after it was recognised as a scheduled monument.

The settlement, adjacent to the ruins of Coxhoe Hall, in Coxhoe, has been included on the schedule of ancient monuments and archaeological areas compiled by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.

The recognition means that the area will be governed by strict rules preventing it from being damaged, and is likely to be used for research into local and national heritage.

Its schedule entry states: "In the central province of England, villages were the most distinct aspect of medieval life, and their archaeological remains are one of the most important sources of understanding about rural life in the five or more centuries following the Norman Conquest.

"Coxhoe medieval settlement, 170m south-west of East House Farm, is well preserved and retains significant archaeological deposits.

"The village is a good example of its type, and will add greatly to our knowledge and understanding of medieval rural settlement in the region."

Buried beneath grass, the Coxhoe settlement retains parts of houses, known as tofts, and crofts, or garden areas, which rise up to half a metre above the ground.

Originally, they would have stood in parallel lines, facing onto a village green.

Beyond them would have lain communal open fields.

The settlement is best known as the site of Coxhoe Hall, birthplace of the poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning.

Originally a manor house, it was rebuilt in 1725 by John Burdon, and during the Second World War was used as a prisoner of war camp.

Now a ruin, the area around it has been restored as a nature reserve.

County archaeologist Fiona Macdonald welcomed the scheduled monument recognition.

She said: "The recognition says that the site has been designated as nationally important.

"It also means that it's protected by law in lots of different ways.

"There are opportunities that can be explored in terms of proper management.

"The number one priority is that it doesn't get damaged any further."