Explore 22 deserted villages in County Durham, revealing medieval life and decline through historical records and archaeological digs.
This document lists 22 specific deserted villages. It shares their history and dig findings. Those villages include places like Burdon and Butterwick. Places like Claxton and Low Dinsdale are on the list. Elstob and Embleton are also noted. The list keeps going with Foxton and Garmondsway.
West Hartburn and Hulam appear next. Hurbuck and Layton are further examples. East Newbiggin and West Newbiggin are additional sites. Newsham, Slingley, and Sockburn are listed too. Swainston, Thrislington and Ulnaby also appear. Finally Walworth and Whessoe complete the list.
Deserted village spots run east to west in Durham. Eastern areas had clustered villages. Western areas had scattered farms and woods. Abandonment happened slowly, not suddenly.
Many villages were planned very carefully. Two rows of houses faced a central green. Walworth had many rows around a green space too.
Digs found medieval houses and pottery. They also found chapels and manor houses. At Swainston, they found ten house spots. Two houses dated to the 1300s-1400s. At West Hartburn, they found longhouses dug in the 1960s. Pottery dated from the 1200s to the 1500s.
At Thrislington, they dug up toft borders in the 1970s. They located a manor house and work areas. The manor house was from the 1100s. It was empty by the 1300s.
At Castle Eden, a dig found a hollow way. It also found a two-row village. Pottery dated from the 1100s-1500s. At Sockburn, they’re looking for a church. They also seek old sculptures. They are unsure if it truly was a village. At Newsham, a 1972 search found eleven tofts. They noted possible chapel parts.