Althorp Lost Settlement
Althorp was once a village in Northamptonshire which has long since vanished. The site of the village is within the grounds of the Althorp estate in Northamptonshire.
The village is recorded in the Domesday Book. In the 15th century, the manor was held by the Catesby family who were probably responsible for clearing the settlement, for by 1505, the records show that there were no tenants.
In 1508, the parish, including the cleared settlement of Althorp, was sold to John Spencer of Wormleighton in Warwickshire. By 1577, the land in the parish had been divided into four large sheep pastures.[1]
Remains today
There are some signs of earthworks on the site but much has been damaged by later agricultural activity not least ploughing. The main remaining feature is a broad hollow way which runs up the hillside and is a yard and a half deep. There are several platforms on the south side of the hollow which are thought to be the sites of dwellings.[2]
References
- Location map: 52°16’48"N, 1°0’0"W
- Streetmap: SP678648
- ↑ K.J. Allison, The Deserted Villages of Northampton Leicester: Leicester University Press (1966:34) ASIN: B0010HP1G0
- ↑ An Inventory of Archaeological Sites in North-West Northamptonshire (1981) HMSO, ISBN 0-11-700900-8
