Monument record 829 - Deserted Medieval Settlement

An aerial photograph dating from 1947 shows an area of earthworks which are believed to be the remains of a deserted medieval settlement comprising around six building platforms and a trackway. Modern LIDAR survey shows that the earthworks have been levelled, but are still discernable. 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.