Monument record 2197 - Kingsthorpe deserted village

Site of the deserted village of Kingsthorpe, listed in the Domesday with Armston. Seems to have flourished until the early 16th century. The main depopulation occured between the 17th to the early 18th century. Most of the earthowrk remains have now been ploughed leaving only slight undulations. A short stretch of the village street survives as a hollow. A quern which was found here is now in Leicester University. Still visible on air photography.

{1} The village is listed in the Domesday Book together with Armston as having a combined recorded popultation of 18. Thus both were probably small places at that time. Its history, apart from the manorial descent, is largely unknown and unrecorded. From various late 14th century charters and court rolls it seems that the village had been a small but flourishing community until that time when it started to decline. In the 1524 Lay Subsidy it was linked with Polebrook with a total recorded population of 31. To judge by the figures given for adjacent villages, this would suggest that the majority of the 31 people lived at Polebrook and that Kingsthorpe was already almost deserted. In 1517, Thorney Abbey, which by then owned both the manors of Kingsthorpe, had enclosed six acres of land and destroyed one house, and in about 1600 the Montagu family of Broughton, who had acquired the ownership, enclosed more land 'in the hamlet of Kingsthorpe'. By about 1720, nothing remained and the site was described as having 'hollow places with marks and foundations of a village'.

Medieval pottery, dating mainly from the 12th to 14th centuries as well as building materials, has been found scattered over that part of the site now ploughed, with a marked concentration along the hollow-way or main street.

{2, 3} The "hamlet" of Kingsthorpe was extant in 1347. It belonged to Thorney Abbey; acquired after Dissolution by Sir Edward Montagu of Boughton. In 1513 abbey enclosed and converted to pasture 6 acres and destroyed one house and c.1600 Montagus carried out some enclosure "in hamlet of Kingsthorpe." Kingsthorpe Fields surveyed 1603. C.1720 found to be depopulated but Bridges found "hollow places with marks and foundations of a village". Moat survives and name perpetuated in Kingsthorpe Lodge.

{6} The site of this village has now been ploughed leaving only slight undulations. A short stretch of the village street survives as a hollow but this is being steadily encroached upon by the plough. A quern found here is now in Leicester University. Extent visible on air cover.

{7} TL 079 857: DMV - Kingsthorpe. Notes on the documentary evidence relating to the village.

<1> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1975, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.75-76/Site 4 (checked) (Series). SNN77379.

<2> Bridges J., 1791, The History and Antiquities of Northamptonshire, p.417 (unchecked) (Book). SNN77326.

<3> Allison K.J.; Beresford M.W.; Hurst J.G. et al, 1966, The Deserted Villages of Northamptonshire, p.41 (unchecked) (Report). SNN39628.

<4> Page W. (ed), 1930, The Victoria History of the Counties of England: Northamptonshire, p.105+106 (unchecked) (Series). SNN100370.

<5> Ordnance Survey, 1950s/1960s, Ordnance Survey Record Cards, TL08NE3 (unchecked) (Index). SNN443.

<6> Seaman, BH, 1969, Field investigators comments, F1 BHS 29-AUG-1969 (Notes). SNN111907.

<7> Brown A.E.; Taylor C.C., 1975, Four Deserted Settlements in Northamptonshire, p. 183-8 (Article). SNN75848.

<8> Royal Air Force, Vertical Aerial Photography, A/P (RAF VAP 541.143, 4199-4200) (Photographs). SNN104890.

<9> Historic England, Undated, A STREET IN KINGSTHORPE, BB73/02070 (Archive). SNN114286.

Record last edited

Feb 7 2025 2:27PM