This page focuses on villages and hamlets which are now totally deserted and also settlements that have substantially shrunk in size or been moved from one location to another.
Overview
The most comprehensive single account of such places in the county is undoubtedly the paper Deserted villages and hamlets in Northamptonshire which Stephen Swailes completed in 2023, providing details of a large number of places as well as a perceptive introduction and a bibliography.
Particular places
The works listed below relate to specific villages or hamlets.
- Chester on the Water Chester on the Water: A Deserted Medieval Hamlet by A E Brown [1978] (page 15)
- Churchfield Four deserted settlements in Northamptonshire by A E Brown & C C Taylor [1975] (page 178)
- Eaglethorpe Eaglethorpe: The Travels of a Deserted Village by Robert Taylor [1987] (page 325)
- Ecton Ecton: Its Lost Village and Landscape Park by Glenn Foard [1993] (page 335)
- Ecton History and Antiquities of Ecton by John Cole [1865]
- Elkington Our Cockhills in Elkington by Elizabeth Fell [2006] (page 32) With the help of estate maps, explores the history of the layout and use of land in this area.
- Elkington Elkington; Two maps and some letters by Bill Franklin [2022] (page 20) Details of documents relating to this hamlet that have been found in four archives located outside the county.
- Kingsthorpe (in Polebrook parish) Four deserted settlements in Northamptonshire by A E Brown & C C Taylor [1975] (page 178)
- Knuston Four deserted settlements in Northamptonshire by A E Brown & C C Taylor [1975] (page 178)
- Overstone Four deserted settlements in Northamptonshire by A E Brown & C C Taylor [1975] (page 178)
Historic England has given many deserted and shrunken village sites in Northamptonshire the status of a Scheduled Monument. This is intended to protect them from damage. Details of the history and significance of each one are showcased online. The following links go to the 'Official List Entry' for the relevant places. Buttons on that page lead to other pages about the same place titled 'Overview' and 'Comments & Photos'. The amount of information available on the set of three pages varies but usually includes the historical background, details of what still survives and a map. Sometimes, there is also a book list.
- Ashby St Ledgers Medieval settlement at Ashby St Ledgers
- Ashton Ashton, a small Roman town north east of Oundle
- Astwick Site of the medieval village of Astwick
- Barton Seagrave Barton Seagrave shrunken medieval village remains
- Blatherwycke Blatherwycke medieval settlement remains
- Braunston Cleaves or Fawcliff Medieval village of Fawcliff, Branston Cleaves
- Braunstonbury Braunstonbury deserted medieval village
- Canons Ashby Canons Ashby, remains of a medieval settlement and post-medieval houses
- Chester on the Water Roman town of Irchester and preceding Iron Age settlement, including remains of the medieval hamlet of Chester on the Water
- Clipston Clipston medieval settlement
- East Farndon Medieval settlement remains at East Farndon
- Faxton Medieval village of Faxton
- Haselbech Medieval settlement at Haselbech
- Horton Settlement remains of the medieval village of Horton
- Irchester Roman town of Irchester and preceding Iron Age settlement, including remains of the medieval hamlet of Chester on the Water
- Kelmarsh Kelmarsh medieval settlement
- Kirby (Deene parish) Kirby Hall, including remains of the medieval village of Kirby
- Kirby (Woodend parish) Site of the medieval settlement of Kirby
- Little Oxendon Abandoned medieval village of Little Oxendon
- Lower Catesby Site of the medieval village of Lower Catesby
- Mallows Cotton Mallows Cotton deserted medieval village
- Marston Trussell Marston Trussell shrunken medieval village
- Muscott Muscott deserted medieval village
- Nobold Medieval settlement at Nobold
- Onley Abandoned medieval settlement of Onley
- Papley Papley deserted medieval village
- Pipewell Cistercian abbey and medieval settlement at Pipewell
- Raunds North Raunds Saxon and medieval settlement
- Rockingham Rockingham shrunken medieval village
- Stanford Medieval village of Stanford
- Steane Steane medieval village
- Stutchbury Site of medieval village of Stutchbury
- Thorpe Lubenham Thorpe Lubenham, remains of a shifted medieval village
- Titchmarsh Titchmarsh Roman Town
- Upton Upton medieval village
- Walgrave Abandoned areas of Walgrave medieval village
- Watford Watford Park: C18 garden remains overlying the shrunken medieval village of Watford
- West Cotton Medieval settlement of West Cotton
- Winwick (near West Haddon) Winwick medieval settlement
- Wolfhampcote Medieval settlement at Wolfhampcote
- Woodford Medieval settlement remains at Woodford