A few days ago I saw what I thought was an exciting LiDAR find in the wolds of North Yorkshire - perhaps even part of a deserted village recorded in the Domesday Book. This was a complete survey of England written in AD 1086 only 20 years after the Norman Conquest.
Shown below is my observation of a little cluster of what I took to be the remains of buildings on the west bank of the wiggly Settrington Burn just south of the modern farm of Kirk Hill, north of an area of land along the river called Buckton Holms.
The OS grid reference is: SE 8431 6935
The OS grid reference is: SE 8431 6935
LIDAR (DSM, 1m) copyright Environment Agency (2022) - enhanced for archaeology.
The 1st Edition 6" OS map also looked interesting with a structure shown ('Arthur Barn'), a large rectangular pond, and several tracks. Although not shown on the 1st edition map, the second edition shows the site of a church just east of the aptly named, Kirk Hill.
A Google search for the place-names, "Settrington Burn" and "Buckton Holms" gave me the reference to the very small settlement of Buckton (Holms) referred to in the Domesday Book.
A Google search for the place-names, "Settrington Burn" and "Buckton Holms" gave me the reference to the very small settlement of Buckton (Holms) referred to in the Domesday Book.
Buckton [Holms] was a settlement in Domesday Book, in the hundred of Scard and the county of Yorkshire.
It had a recorded population of 5.2 households in 1086, putting it in the smallest 20% of settlements recorded in Domesday, and is listed under 2 owners in Domesday Book.
Land of Berengar of Tosny, and
Land of Hugh son of Baldric
OS 1st Ed. 6" map (1854) and LiDAR (CVAT). National Library of Scotland.
Historic England (HE) had recently changed the Heritage Gateway website so there was a delay before I could get my head round its current map search. This no longer accepts a grid reference and has to be done using place-names and is much more fiddly. Needless to say, their changes have also killed all links to their records both in this blog and elsewhere which will need to be manually found and altered.
The two relevant HE records are here:
Buckton 62039 (Deserted village)
Monument 61996 (Pre-Domesday church - site of)
The two relevant HE records are here:
Buckton 62039 (Deserted village)
Monument 61996 (Pre-Domesday church - site of)
LiDAR (DSM) just east of Kirk Hill Farm. Remains of the church have apparently disturbed what is extant medieval broad rig and furrow at the location shown on the 2nd Ed. OS map.
Location of church on Kirk Hill. Ordnance Survey 2nd Ed. 25" (c1900). National Library of Scotland.
What I had seen on LiDAR did look a bit too modern and perhaps a little small to represent a deserted medieval village. It looks more like a single unit, perhaps a farm like that further south down the same burn, called Bellmanean (formerly Bellmanear) but clearly predates the Ordnance Survey.
Buckton 62039 (Deserted village) extracts from HE record:
The village of Buckton, with 38 cottages, was mentioned in an inquisition post mortem dated 1304/5. A survey of Settrington manor in 1600 reveals that only the name Buckton remained, preserved as a component of field names along Settrington Beck. Earthworks at SE 843693, in a field known in 1600 as 'Buckton Garthes', are remains of a post-Medieval farmstead; probably built on the site of Buckton village. No other remains visible.
As described by RCHME (1972). There are no identifiable remains of this village.
Recent aerial photographs show several sites of probable buildings alongside the beck at SE 8433 6935. The site appears to be minor, not very village-like, and more likely to represent a later farmstead. The site is surrounded by ridge and furrow cultivation.
RCHME (2000)
Mentioned in an Inquiry Post-mortem in 1304-5, Buckton ws an outlier of Settrington with 29 bovates of land, 38 cottages and two water mills.
By 1599 it was recorded as being depopulated. Stuart Wrathmell notes that the 'earthworks are said to be plough damaged'. The field immediately to the south east of Kirk Hill Farm contains ridge and furrow, to the south of the farm across Settrington Beck are the low remains of at least two earthwork dams (presumably millponds) and further south there are more ridge and furrow fragments. The only indications of settlemetn remains are a couple of possible building platforms around SE84556925 and a bit further south three or four shallow ditches running down to the east side of the Beck which may be remains of toft boundaries.
English Heritage (1998}.
The village of Buckton, with 38 cottages, was mentioned in an inquisition post mortem dated 1304/5. A survey of Settrington manor in 1600 reveals that only the name Buckton remained, preserved as a component of field names along Settrington Beck. Earthworks at SE 843693, in a field known in 1600 as 'Buckton Garthes', are remains of a post-Medieval farmstead; probably built on the site of Buckton village. No other remains visible.
As described by RCHME (1972). There are no identifiable remains of this village.
Recent aerial photographs show several sites of probable buildings alongside the beck at SE 8433 6935. The site appears to be minor, not very village-like, and more likely to represent a later farmstead. The site is surrounded by ridge and furrow cultivation.
RCHME (2000)
Mentioned in an Inquiry Post-mortem in 1304-5, Buckton ws an outlier of Settrington with 29 bovates of land, 38 cottages and two water mills.
By 1599 it was recorded as being depopulated. Stuart Wrathmell notes that the 'earthworks are said to be plough damaged'. The field immediately to the south east of Kirk Hill Farm contains ridge and furrow, to the south of the farm across Settrington Beck are the low remains of at least two earthwork dams (presumably millponds) and further south there are more ridge and furrow fragments. The only indications of settlemetn remains are a couple of possible building platforms around SE84556925 and a bit further south three or four shallow ditches running down to the east side of the Beck which may be remains of toft boundaries.
English Heritage (1998}.
Monument 61996 (Pre-Domesday church - site of) excerpts from record:
"A meadow which bears the name of Kirk Hill marks the position of the church mentioned in Domesday and although the church was pulled down more than seven centuries ago, the name still holds ...
The cruciform trench which still marks the position of the nave and transepts shows it was only a tiny edifice". "Vide Domesday Studies". No dedicatory name can be obtained for this ancient church.
Ordnance Survey Name Book (1891).
There are now no visible remains of a church in the field called Kirk Hill (centred SE 843 696). The field is pasture covered and crossed by rig and furrow.
RCHME (1974).
"A meadow which bears the name of Kirk Hill marks the position of the church mentioned in Domesday and although the church was pulled down more than seven centuries ago, the name still holds ...
The cruciform trench which still marks the position of the nave and transepts shows it was only a tiny edifice". "Vide Domesday Studies". No dedicatory name can be obtained for this ancient church.
Ordnance Survey Name Book (1891).
There are now no visible remains of a church in the field called Kirk Hill (centred SE 843 696). The field is pasture covered and crossed by rig and furrow.
RCHME (1974).
See also:
The organisation of the early church in the East Riding of Yorkshire, c. 700 – 1100: the churches of 1086 and their origins. Joseph Sebastian Brown. MPhil, Centre for Medieval Studies, University of York. July 2009.
Buckton (holms) p.222.
Relevant photos from Geograph Project
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