Monument record 1666 - Aston by Budworth

Aston by Budworth is a possible deserted medieval village. First mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086 as Estone. The township is east and north east of Great Budworth, which it adjoins. Medieval and later villages were abandoned by their inhabitants for many reasons. The effects of disease and poor harvests made rural living difficult, and whole communities are thought to have relocated to urban settlements. Landowners sometimes relocated settlements for aesthetic reasons and for landscaping. Once abandoned the villages quickly became derelict and were not inhabited again surviving only as earthworks, often visible only from aerial photographs. They can also be identified by documentary evidence or the presence of a church where there is no settlement.