Bittesby facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bittesby |
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 Site of medieval village - photographed in November 2009 |
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| Civil parish |
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| Shire county | |
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| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| EU Parliament | East Midlands |
Bittesby is a fascinating place in Leicestershire, England. It's known as a "deserted village." This means that long ago, people lived there, but over time, everyone moved away, and the village became empty.
Bittesby is located near the A5 Watling Street, which is an ancient Roman road. It's also about three miles from the town of Lutterworth. The old Midland Railway line used to run right next to where the village once stood. In 2001, only six people lived in the area that used to be the parish of Bittesby.
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What's in a Name?
The name 'Bittesby' has an interesting meaning. It comes from old words that mean "farm" or "settlement of Byttel." Byttel was likely a person's name, so it was "Byttel's farm."
Discovering Bittesby's Past
Bittesby has a long history. It was even mentioned in the Domesday Book, which was a huge survey of England completed in 1086. At that time, 25 families lived in Bittesby.
However, by 1494, the village became empty. This process is called "depopulation." Today, you can still see signs of the old village. There are "hollow ways," which are like old sunken roads, and "house platforms," which are flat areas where houses once stood. To the north, you can find old stonework, which suggests there might have been a small chapel there.
A Scheduled Ancient Monument
The deserted medieval village of Bittesby was officially identified in 1945. This discovery was made by a historian named Maurice Beresford. Because of its historical importance, Bittesby is now a scheduled ancient monument. This means it's a protected site, and it's against the law to damage it.
Changes to the Parish
For a long time, Bittesby was a special area called a "liberty" within the larger Claybrooke parish. From 1866, Bittesby became its own civil parish. A civil parish is a local government area. However, on April 1, 2014, the Bittesby civil parish was joined with Bitteswell to form a new parish called "Bitteswell with Bittesby."
