Wythmail facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Wythmail
Lost settlement
The location of Wythmail
Wythmail Location in Northamptonshire
Country	England
State	Northamptonshire
Region	East Midlands
District	North Northamptonshire
Municipality	Orlingbury
Map Ref: SP842721

Wythmail is a "lost village" in Northamptonshire, England. It's about 4.5 miles south of Kettering and 1.1 miles west of Orlingbury. Wythmail used to be part of the larger area, or "parish," of Orlingbury. Today, you won't find any buildings there, but it has a fascinating history!

The History of Wythmail Village

Wythmail was once a small but active village. We know about its early days from old records.

Early Records: Domesday Book

The Domesday Book is a famous survey from 1086, ordered by William the Conqueror. It helped him understand what was in his new kingdom. The Domesday Book tells us that Wythmail had 17 people living there. It also mentions that the village had a priest. This suggests it had a church or chapel.

The land was measured in "hides," which was a way to figure out how much tax was owed. Wythmail was assessed for 2½ hides. Even though it was a separate village, its main estate, called a manor, was linked to the nearby village of Orlingbury.

Life in the Middle Ages

By 1220, records show that Wythmail had 12 "ploughs." This means there was a lot of farming happening. The village was also listed in the Nomina Villarum of 1316. This was another important document that listed all the villages in England.

In 1357, a special chapel for the manor was mentioned. This shows that the village had its own place of worship, even if it was small. Wythmail was counted with Orlingbury for tax purposes in 1334 (the Subsidy Returns) and again in 1377 (the Poll Tax). The Poll Tax was a tax paid by every adult.

Wythmail Becomes a Park

Over time, things changed for Wythmail. By 1614, the land where the village once stood had been turned into a park. This park existed until 1657. This was a common fate for some villages, especially if the land was wanted for hunting or grand estates. By 1720, only one house was left in what used to be Wythmail. The village had almost completely disappeared.

What Remains of Wythmail Today

Today, if you visit the area where Wythmail once stood, you won't see any old buildings or ruins. Modern farming methods have completely cleared away any traces of the village above ground.

However, we know exactly where it was! In 1947, the RAF (Royal Air Force) took an aerial photograph of the site. This amazing photo clearly showed the faint outlines of the village's earthwork outline and its old streets. These are like ghostly marks on the ground, showing where houses and roads used to be. It's a reminder that even when a village is lost, its history can still be found.