List of lost settlements in Hertfordshire facts for kids

Imagine a time when entire villages simply vanished! In Hertfordshire, a county in England, many villages and hamlets (small settlements) have disappeared over the centuries. Some were completely abandoned, while others moved to a new spot nearby. For example, the town of Stevenage actually relocated to be closer to the important Great North Road. This meant the old Stevenage village was left behind.

What Are Lost Villages?

Lost villages, often called deserted medieval villages (DMVs), are places where people used to live during the Middle Ages but don't anymore. Sometimes, all the buildings are gone, and only archaeological remains are left. Other times, a village might have moved a short distance, leaving its original site empty. These lost places tell us a lot about how life used to be and why communities changed.

Why Did Villages Disappear?

Villages didn't just vanish for one reason. Often, it was a mix of different problems that made people leave their homes. Here are some of the main reasons why villages in Hertfordshire, and across England, became deserted:

Changing Weather and Bad Harvests

The weather played a big role. From the late 1200s, the climate in Europe started to get colder and wetter. This period is sometimes called the "Little Ice Age."

• Cold and Wet Weather: Around 1300, the weather became much colder and wetter. This made farming very difficult.
• Terrible Harvests: There were several years with very bad harvests, especially between 1317 and 1319. This led to a huge shortage of food.
• Big Storms: Major storms, like a seven-day storm in January 1362, also caused a lot of damage and made life harder for farmers.

These changes meant less food for everyone, which could force people to leave their villages to find food elsewhere.

Farming Problems

Even the land itself started to cause problems.

• Overused Land: Some of the best farming land, especially in the north-east of Hertfordshire, had been used too much. The soil became tired and less fertile.
• Less Manure: When the weather got worse, farmers focused more on growing crops than raising animals. But animals provide manure, which helps fertilize the soil. With fewer animals, the land became even less fertile.
• Animal Diseases: Diseases like murrain (a serious animal illness) also reduced the number of farm animals. This made the problem of less manure even worse.

These issues led to less food being grown, making it hard for villages to survive. This period included the Great Famine of 1315-1317, which was a very difficult time for many people.

The Black Death

One of the most devastating events in history was the Black Death, a terrible plague that swept through Europe in 1348-1349.

• Huge Loss of Life: The Black Death killed a massive number of people, sometimes half or even more of the population.
• Empty Villages: With so many people gone, many villages simply didn't have enough people left to keep going. Fields were left unworked, and homes were abandoned.

Villages on the Move

Sometimes, a village didn't disappear completely but just moved to a better spot.

• New Trade Routes: Villages often moved to be closer to important roads or rivers. This allowed them to benefit from passing trade and grow into bigger, more successful towns.
• Stevenage's Story: A great example is Stevenage. The original village moved to be right next to the Great North Road. This new location helped it grow and eventually become one of England's first "new towns" in the 20th century.

Changing to Pasture Land

Another reason for villages to shrink or disappear was a change in how land was used.

• Sheep Farming: Instead of growing crops, landowners started to use their land for raising sheep. Sheep farming needed far fewer people than crop farming.
• Enclosures: This change often involved "enclosures," where common land was fenced off and turned into private fields for sheep. This meant many villagers, who used to farm the land, lost their jobs and homes, forcing them to leave.

Creating Grand Estates

Sometimes, powerful and wealthy families decided to build large houses with huge parks around them.

• Village Destruction: To create these grand estates, existing villages were sometimes destroyed or moved.
• Pendley and Kitts End: For example, the village of Pendley was destroyed around 1440 to make way for a park for Sir Robert Whittingham. Kitts End was also taken over by the Byng family for their Wrotham Park estate in the 1800s, after a new road made its original location less important.

Growth of Towns

As some towns grew bigger, they attracted people from smaller villages nearby.

• Market Towns: Towns like Baldock, Buntingford, Royston, and St Albans had busy markets or important religious buildings.
• Pulling People Away: These growing towns offered more opportunities and a better life, which "sucked the life" out of smaller, nearby villages as people moved away.

These are just some of the many villages that have been lost or relocated in Hertfordshire. Each one has a unique story, showing how much our landscape and communities have changed over hundreds of years.