This list of lost settlements in the United Kingdom includes deserted medieval villages (DMVs), shrunken villages, abandoned villages and other settlements known to have been lost, depopulated or significantly reduced in size over the centuries. There are estimated to be as many as 3,000 DMVs in England. Grid references are given, where known.
Note that in many cases English settlements are listed under the relevant historical county, rather than the modern administrative unit.
From Beresford's Lost Villages [8] except Old Wolverton.
Includes former villages whose sites were in Huntingdonshire until the 1974 county boundary changes.
There are believed to be around 200 lost settlements in Norfolk. Many of these are deserted medieval villages.
For former villages whose sites were in Berkshire until the 1974 county boundary changes please see the Berkshire section, above.
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Quarrendon or Quarrendon Leas is a medieval English village near Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, England, which has been depopulated since the 16th century and is now a scheduled monument.
In the United Kingdom, a deserted medieval village (DMV) is a former settlement which was abandoned during the Middle Ages, typically leaving no trace apart from earthworks or cropmarks. If there are fewer than three inhabited houses the convention is to regard the site as deserted; if there are more than three houses, it is regarded as a shrunken medieval village. There are estimated to be more than 3,000 DMVs in England alone.
Caistor is a town and civil parish in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. As its name implies, it was originally a Roman castrum or fortress. It lies at the north-west edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds, on the Viking Way, and just off the A46 between Lincoln and Grimsby, at the A46, A1084, A1173 and B1225 junction. It has a population of 2,601. Its name comes from the Anglo-Saxon ceaster and was given in the Domesday Book as Castre.
Hellidon is a village and civil parish about 5 miles (8 km) south-west of Daventry in Northamptonshire, England. The parish area is about 1,600 acres (650 ha). It lies 520 feet (160 m) – 590 feet (180 m) above sea level on the north face of an ironstone ridge, its highest point, 670 feet (200 m) at Windmill Hill, being 0.5 miles (800 m) south-east of the village. The Leam and tributaries rise in the parish. The 2011 Census gave a population of 256, estimated at 286 in 2019. The long-distance Jurassic Way footpath linking Banbury, Oxfordshire, and Stamford, Lincolnshire, passes through. The origin of the name is unclear. "Holy Valley", "Haegla's Valley" and "Unstable valley" have been suggested, with the Old English "dun", meaning hill.
Bardney is a village and civil parish in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. The population of the civil parish was 1,643 at the 2001 census increasing to 1,848 at the 2011 census. The village sits on the east bank of the River Witham and 9 miles (14 km) east of Lincoln.
Barrowby is a village and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It is 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Grantham. It overlooks the Vale of Belvoir and has a Grade I listed parish church. The hamlet of Casthorpe is part of the parish. The 2001 Census listed 795 households and a population of 1,996, which fell to 840 households with 1,952 inhabitants at the 2011 census. It was estimated at 1,986 in 2019.
Knaptoft is a deserted medieval village and civil parish in the Harborough district of Leicestershire and lies approximately 9.7 miles (15.6 km) south of the city of Leicester, England. According to the University of Nottingham English Place-names project, the settlement name Knaptoft could mean "cnafa" for 'a boy, a young man, a servant, a menial, or a personal name' and 'toft', the plot of ground in which a dwelling stands. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 47.
Aslackby and Laughton is a civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 243, in 102 households. increasing slightly to 251 in 118 households at the 2011 census. It consists of the village of Aslackby, the hamlet of Laughton, and scattered farms, and part of the hamlet of Graby.
Bigby is a village and civil parish in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England.
Bishop Norton is a village and the main settlement of the civil parish of the same name in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. The village is approximately 8 miles (13 km) north-west from the market town of Market Rasen, and is close to the A15 road. According to the 2001 Census it had a population of 233, including Atterby and increasing to 308 at the 2011 census.
Mareham le Fen is a village and civil parish about 6 miles (10 km) south from the town of Horncastle, Lincolnshire, England. The hamlet of Mareham Gate lies about 0.5 miles (0.8 km) south from the village, and it is believed that the deserted medieval village (DMV) of Birkwood is situated nearby.
Stainsby, in North Yorkshire, England, is an abandoned village near the Acklam suburb of Middlesbrough and town of Thornaby. Little more than mounds near the A19 road are now visible. The site is a scheduled monument.
Sevenhampton is a village and civil parish in Cotswold District, Gloucestershire. The parish is located in the Cotswolds in an area designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Most of the parish population reside in the two main settlements of Sevenhampton village and Brockhampton village, both are located in the valley of the River Coln.
Lewknor is a village and civil parish about 5 miles (8 km) south of Thame in Oxfordshire.The civil parish includes the villages of Postcombe and South Weston. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 663.
Cold Newton is a small hamlet and civil parish in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England. It is situated about two miles from Tilton on the Hill and two miles north of Billesdon. Some 700 feet (210 m) above sea level, it overlooks the Wreake valley. Any population remaining is listed in the civil parish of Lowesby.
Grainthorpe is a small village and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated 7 miles (11 km) north-east from the town of Louth, and approximately 3 miles (5 km) from the Lincolnshire coast. The civil parish includes the hamlets of Wragholme to the north-west, and Ludney to the south-east. The population of Conisholme is included in the 2011 census.
Radstone is a hamlet and civil parish in West Northamptonshire, about 2 miles (3 km) north of Brackley. The 2001 Census recorded a parish population of 54. At the 2011 Census the population of the hamlet remained less than 100 and was included in the civil parish of Whitfield.
Calcethorpe is a hamlet and deserted medieval village (DMV), in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated approximately 5 miles (8 km) west from the market town of Louth, and in the Lincolnshire Wolds, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The hamlet forms part of the civil parish of Calcethorpe with Kelstern.
The identification of Deserted Villages and Lost Places in Leicestershire owes much to the pioneering work of William George Hoskins during his time at the University of Leicester.