Reasons for Designation
Medieval rural settlements in England were marked by great regional diversity
in form, size and type, and the protection of their archaeological remains
needs to take these differences into account. To do this, England has been
divided into three broad Provinces on the basis of each area's distinctive
mixture of nucleated and dispersed settlements. These can be further divided
into sub-Provinces and local regions, possessing characteristics which have
gradually evolved during the last 1500 years or more.
This monument lies in the Trent sub-Province of the Central Province, where
the broad Trent valley swings in a great arc across midland England. Underlain
by heavy clays, it is given variety by superficial glacial and alluvial
deposits. Although treated as a single sub-Province, it has many subtle
variations. Generally, it is characterised by a great number of villages and
hamlets which cluster thickly along scarp-foot and scarp-tail zones, locations
suitable for exploiting the contrasting terrains. Throughout the sub-Province
there are very low and extremely low densities of dispersed farmsteads, some
of which are ancient, but most of which are 18th-century and later movement of
farms out of earlier villages.
Details
The monument includes the full extent of surviving remains of the village of
Gilby, which was established by the early 12th century and occupied throughout
the medieval and post-medieval periods. The first reference to the village in
historical documents occurs in 1138-9. Throughout the medieval period it is
recorded as a secondary settlement to Pilham, which lies 0.5km to the north. A
source of 1616 indicates that Gilby had become partly depopulated by that
date, although it continued to be occupied as a small hamlet through the 17th
and 18th centuries. By 1842 it was finally reduced to a single farm.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
22758
Legacy System:
RSM
End of official list entry
