Stapleford deserted medieval village and ice house

Reasons for Designation

The village, comprising a small group of houses, gardens, yards, streets, paddocks, often with a green, a manor and a church, and with a community devoted primarily to agriculture, was a significant component of the rural landscape in most areas of medieval England, much as it is today. Villages provided some services to the local community and acted as the main focal point of ecclesiastical, and often of manorial, administration within each parish. Although the sites of many of these villages have been occupied continuously down to the present day, many others declined in size or were abandoned throughout the medieval and post-medieval periods, particularly during the 14th and 15th centuries. As a result over 2000 deserted medieval villages are recorded nationally. The reasons for desertion were varied but often reflected declining economic viability, changes in land use such as enclosure or emparkment, or population fluctuations as a result of widespread epidemics such as the Black Death. As a consequence of their abandonment these villages are frequently undisturbed by later occupation and contain well-preserved archaeological deposits. Because they are a common and long-lived monument type in most parts of England, they provide important information on the diversity of medieval settlement patterns and farming economy between the regions and through time.

The village earthworks at Stapleford survive in good condition and the site has important documentary evidence for a weekly market and annual fair.

Details

The monument is situated in parkland located on the south bank of the river Eye, 5km east of Melton Mowbray, and includes extensive medieval village earthworks and a post medieval ice house.

The village earthworks occupy a large area extending for over 300m north-south and about 300m east-west. A boundary ditch measuring a maximum of 6m wide and 1.5m deep marks the northern extent of the village, beyond which lies ridge and furrow ploughing forming part of the associated field system within the area of the scheduling. On the south side is a second boundary ditch extending for 50m which is of similar dimensions to the ditch on the north side. There are the remains of several closes and at least three building foundations which are located towards the centre of the site. Further ridge and furrow ploughing is included in the scheduling on the western side of the site. Constructed within the ridge and furrow to the north is an ice house post-dating the village earthworks. It is contained within a circular turf mound measuring approximately 20m in diameter and 2.0m high.

Stapleford is listed in Domesday Book and later received a grant for a weekly market and annual fair in 1308. The cause of desertion is considered to be the creation of Stapleford Park in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Excluded from the scheduling is a concrete trackway and all fencing, although the ground beneath these features is included.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract. It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features, considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

17093

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Hartley, R F, The Medieval Earthworks of North-West Leicestershire, (1987)

End of official list entry

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