23 June 2025
Scattered across the Lincolnshire countryside lie the remains of hundreds of villages that were once thriving communities during the medieval period. Known as deserted medieval villages, these sites survive today only as earthworks, crop marks and fragments of stone in ploughed fields. English Heritage and local archaeological groups have documented many of these sites, which offer remarkable insights into how ordinary people lived, worked and died in the countryside of medieval England.
Lincolnshire has one of the highest concentrations of deserted medieval village sites in the country, a reflection both of the county's large size and of the particular historical and economic pressures that led to settlement abandonment over several centuries. For local historians and community groups, these sites represent a compelling area of investigation, where fieldwork, documentary research and aerial photography can combine to reveal stories that might otherwise be lost.
Why Villages Were Abandoned
The reasons for village desertion were varied and often interconnected. The catastrophic population decline caused by the Black Death in 1348 to 1349 and subsequent plague outbreaks left many smaller settlements depopulated. In some cases, surviving inhabitants migrated to larger villages or towns where better opportunities could be found. Other communities were deliberately cleared by landowners during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, who found it more profitable to convert arable land to sheep pasture than to maintain tenant farmers.
Enclosure, changes in agricultural practice, and the consolidation of landholdings all contributed to the gradual abandonment of settlements that had existed since the Anglo-Saxon period or even earlier. In Lincolnshire, the flat and fertile landscape that made the county attractive for farming also made it susceptible to economic shifts that could render small settlements unviable.
What the Earthworks Reveal
The earthwork remains of deserted medieval villages can be remarkably well preserved, particularly in areas that have been under permanent pasture. The outlines of house platforms, sunken trackways, boundary ditches and even fishponds can often be traced on the ground or identified through aerial photography. In some cases, the regular layout of the village, with houses arranged along a central street or around a green, is still clearly visible in the pattern of ridges and hollows.
Field surveys and limited excavations at sites across Lincolnshire have produced pottery, coins, tools and building materials that help to date the occupation of these villages and to understand the daily lives of their inhabitants. The presence of high-quality ceramics or imported goods at some sites suggests that even small rural communities could be connected to wider trade networks.
Recording and Protecting These Sites
The preservation and recording of deserted medieval village sites remains an ongoing priority for heritage organisations and local groups in Lincolnshire. While some of the best-preserved sites are protected as Scheduled Monuments, many others are threatened by ploughing, development or natural erosion. The continued use of aerial photography and, more recently, drone-based surveying has proved invaluable for monitoring the condition of known sites and for identifying previously unrecorded examples.
Community archaeology projects have played an important role in this work. Local groups, often working in partnership with university departments or county council archaeologists, have carried out fieldwalking, geophysical surveys and documentary research that has significantly expanded knowledge of the medieval settlement pattern. These projects not only contribute to the historical record but also engage communities with the heritage that lies beneath their feet, often in the fields and lanes just beyond their own back gardens.
The vanished villages of Lincolnshire are a powerful reminder that the landscape we see today is the product of centuries of change, upheaval and adaptation. Understanding where and why these communities once existed enriches our appreciation of the countryside and its long, complex relationship with the people who have lived and worked within it. Researchers with stories to share about deserted settlements are welcome to contribute to the magazine.