List of lost settlements in Northamptonshire facts for kids
A deserted medieval village (often called a DMV) is a place where people used to live, but now it's empty. These are settlements that were once busy villages but have since been "lost" or became much smaller over hundreds of years. In England alone, experts believe there are as many as 3,000 of these hidden villages!
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What are Lost Villages?
Lost villages are places where people lived a long time ago, usually during the Middle Ages (around 1000 to 1500 AD). For different reasons, everyone moved away, and the village was left empty. Sometimes, all that's left are bumps and hollows in fields, or maybe some old foundations under the ground.
Why Did Villages Disappear?
Villages didn't just vanish overnight. Several big reasons caused people to leave their homes:
The Black Death
A terrible plague called the Black Death swept through Europe in the 1300s. It killed a huge number of people, sometimes half or even more of a village's population. With so few people left, some villages couldn't keep going and were abandoned.
Changes in Farming
Sometimes, powerful landowners decided to change how their land was used. Instead of growing crops, which needed many farmers, they might switch to raising sheep. Sheep farming needed far fewer workers. This meant many villagers lost their jobs and had to move away to find work elsewhere.
Enclosure
Another reason was "enclosure." This is when land that was once shared by everyone in the village for farming or grazing animals was fenced off and made private. This often left villagers without land to farm, forcing them to leave.
Other Reasons
Less common reasons included natural disasters like floods or coastal erosion. Sometimes, a village might have simply moved to a slightly better location nearby, leaving the old site empty.
Finding Lost Villages Today
Historians and archaeologists find these lost villages by looking at old maps, records, and even by flying over fields. From above, you can often see the faint outlines of old roads, houses, and farm boundaries. On the ground, you might find pottery shards or other clues that people once lived there. These sites are like giant puzzles that help us understand how people lived in the past.
Lost Settlements in Northamptonshire
This list shows some of the many settlements in Northamptonshire, England, that are known to have been lost or shrunk over the centuries. The grid references (like SP678648) are special codes that help pinpoint their exact location on a map.
- Achurch
- Althorp SP678648
- Appletree
- Armston
- Astwell
- Astwick
- Badsaddle SP833730
- Barford SP853828
- Boughton SP901816
- Braunston Cleves or Fawcliff SP544682
- Braunstonbury SP532655
- Brime
- Brockhall
- Burghley
- Calme
- Caswell
- Canons Ashby (Ascebi) SP576507
- Cotes
- Coton SP673717
- Cotton near Grendon SP874610
- Cotton Mill
- Cotton Mallows
- Chilcote SP658747
- Churchfield
- Church Charwelton SP544554
- Doddington Thorpe SP871656
- Downtown SP615801
- Eaglethorpe
- Eastern Neston
- Edgcote
- Elmington in Ashton
- Elmington in Tansor
- Elkington SP626762
- Falcutt
- Fawsley SP561566
- Foscote
- Faxton SP783751
- Field Burcote
- Foxley
- Furtho
- Glassthorpe SP662617
- Glendon SP847814
- Great Purston
- Hale
- Holdenby SP692675
- Horton SP821542
- Hothorpe SP667852
- Kelmarsh SP743794
- Kingsthorpe
- Kirby SP925925
- Kirby in Blakesley
- Kirby in Gretton
- Knuston SP938662
- Lilford
- Little Creaton SP712716
- Little Newton SP887833
- Little Oxendon SP733845
- Lolham
- Lower Catesby SP515597
- Mawsley SP805763
- Milton
- Murcott SP620677
- Muscott SP627633
- Nether Catesby
- Newbottle SP777815
- Newbottle in Harrington
- Nobold SP695821
- Nobottle
- Nunton
- Papley
- Perio
- Pipewell SP839857
- Potcote
- Preston Deanery SP787555
- Onley SP511707
- Overstone SP806657
- Rushton Saint Peter SP837827
- Seawell
- Sibberton
- Silsworth SP617707
- Snorscomb SP598561
- Stanford SP589788
- Steane
- Strixton SP902617
- Stuchbury
- Sulby SP653816
- Thorpe SP865630
- Thorpe Lubenham
- Thrupp SP598650
- Torpel
- Trafford
- Upper Catesby SP528594
- Upton
- Walcot
- Walton
- Winwick SP627737
- Wolfhampcote SP533656
- Woodcroft
- Wothorpe
- Wythmail SP842721
