Bill's Walks

A Walk Through Deserted Medieval Villages and Shrunken Villages in County Durham

Filed under: Other

Distance: 7.5 Miles

Start: Hammer and Pincers Pub (formerly the Blacksmiths pub). GR NZ 298 239

Click to View Start Position of Google Maps

As the title says this is a walk through history and indeed these deserted villages are part of our heritage. The classic book on these villages is by Richard Muir, called “The Lost Villages of Britain”, written in 1982. It is easily available. The reasons for the desertions are many and varied. They can be broken down into two phases.

The first was in the late 14th Century when climatic conditions were bad for crop growth and there were failed crops for several years. This was to lead to famine and was then followed by the Black Death. Villages were abandoned and there was less land under cultivation because there was less population. A good example is the village of Thockrington in Northumberland when a resident returned from the south and unknowingly brought the plague with him and the village was wiped out. Now only the church survives.

The second period was in the 18th and 19th Centuries when there were great improvements in agriculture which lessened the need for labour. As a side note, there was also the start of selective breeding as the nearby Ketton Ox testifies. At the same time a richer strata of society was developing and on occasions the Lord of the Manor wanted to be rid of settlements to increase privacy or improve the view from his house.

The walk today passes the sites of four villages, two of which still have dwellings from earlier days. The walk commences at the Hammer and Pincers pub near to Preston le Skerne. Records here go back to 1091 when it was known as Prestetona which is believed to be ‘dwelling of priests’. This is one of several hundred medieval villages in the period 900 to 1100 AD. It is interesting to see how the number of medieval villages has grown and records show that there were only 16 recorded in County Durham in 1954. The number increased to 29 in 1971 and then to 60 in 1977 and is now much higher. The reason for this was the development of an organisation called the Medieval Village Research Group (formerly known as the Deserted Medieval Village Research Group) who have since found many more villages, aided by aerial photography. The earthworks here, which is the site of the former settlement, are to the north on the south side of the River Skerne, dividing areas into small crofts between Preston East Farm and Preston West Farm and are shown on OS Explorer 305.

We follow the road to the village crossing the A1M and, after passing through the village, turn right under the railway bridge. The line, formerly left what was known as the Clarence Line taking coal from Byers Green and mid Durham to Port Clarence, left the line at Stillington linking up with the line to Bishop Auckland and at Aycliffe. Its greatest days were in WW2 when it carried the armaments from the massive Royal Ordnance Factory at Aycliffe which employed 17,000 workers, most of whom were women, and were known as the Aycliffe Angels. There is further information on the web on these momentous times.

On passing the bridge turn left parallel to the railway on the bridleway known as Wildgoose Lane which will date back to before the area was drained. Proceed in this direction to where the bridleway turns left over the fence line at spot height 77. To the south is a hill leading up to High Grindon and the site of the village was to the right of the bridleway leading to the top of the hill. There is no obvious track or indeed signs of the old village which have been ploughed out.

From the hill top continue south on Grindon Lane. At the first stile take great care as if there is foliage covering the bridge, there is a significant drop into a small stream! Cross the stile and continue south to Stainton Hill House. Not far from here is the deserted village of Elstob, not shown on the OS map. Turn right on the road here and head west for a few hundred metres to Preston Lodge. Here turn south onto Salters Lane, the name of which shows its old use, and continue past Oat Hill Farm and Fir Tree Farm and ignore the turning on the left called Catkill Lane half a mile later. Just before Newton Ketton take the green road to the right slowly climbing uphill in a north-west direction to High House Farm where you follow the waymarks which take you to the south of the farm.

Follow the access road to Lime Lane, turn left for a very short distance and turn right on the access road to Whinfield House. After a few metres take the track on the left called Green Lane, well named, and cross over the A1M. When you reach the tarmac of Embles Lane turn right (north) on Heworth Lane to reach Heworth House. Take note here of the superb garden in front of the house.

Heworth is first mentioned in the 11th Century and the ridge and furrows aspects and other humps of the old settlement are obvious. This area has been long settled and prehistoric flints have been found here. It is now only half a mile back to the start where you may get a well-earned drink or food but the pub is not open all day through the week.