Little Oxendon facts for kids

Little Oxendon is a special place in Northamptonshire, England. It's what we call a deserted medieval village. This means it was once a busy village during the Middle Ages, but for some reason, everyone left, and it became empty. Today, you can find its remains about one mile north of a village called Great Oxendon.

What is a Deserted Medieval Village?

A deserted medieval village, or DMV, is a place where people lived a long time ago, usually between the 11th and 15th centuries. For different reasons, everyone moved away, and the village was left empty. Sometimes, you can still see clues on the ground, like old foundations or pathways, even though the buildings are gone.

The Story of Little Oxendon

Even though it's called Little Oxendon, it wasn't always part of Great Oxendon. For a long time, it belonged to a different area called Little Bowden. It only became part of Great Oxendon much later, in the 1800s.

The Village Chapel

Little Oxendon had its own small church, called a chapel. We know it was built around the year 1398. It was still being used in 1525, when a man named Robert Palmer mentioned it in his will. This shows that people were still living in the village at that time.

Who Owned the Land?

Over the years, the land of Little Oxendon was owned by different families. Around 1467, a man named Hugh Boyvile gave the land to his son, Richard Boyvile. Later, in 1510, Richard Boyvile left the land to his wife, Gresyll, and then to his son, George Boyvile. The ownership changed hands several times in the early 1500s, passing through families like the Palmers and the Griffins.

Why Did People Leave?

Historians believe that Little Oxendon might have become empty because the land was cleared for sheep farming. This means that instead of growing crops or having houses, the owners decided to use the land to raise sheep. This happened to many villages in England during the Middle Ages.

However, we know that at least eight people were still living in Little Oxendon in 1405. So, the village might have become deserted a bit later than some people think. By the early 1700s, when a historian named John Bridges was researching the area, only one house was left. He found old building stones and burnt hearth stones, which were clues that many houses and the chapel used to be there.

Visiting Little Oxendon Today

Today, you can still visit the site of Little Oxendon. Even though the buildings are gone, you can see the remains of the old village. You might spot "ridge and furrow" fields nearby. These are wavy patterns in the ground that show where farmers used to plow their fields a long time ago.

You can find more information about how to visit and see maps of the area on the Natural England website. Looking at aerial views online can also help you see the patterns of the old village and fields from above.