Deserted Villages in Warwickshire

Info from "The Lost Villages of England" by Maurice BERESFORD
Sutton Publishing 1999, (First published in 1954 by Lutterworth Press)
ISBN 0750918489

p388
WARWICKSHIRE Depopulation was severe in this county, with some immunity in the forest area north of the Avon.
The 1517 inquiry reported many evictions, substantiated by the later proceedings in the court of the Exchequer.
The Inquiry of 1548, however, produced very few new cases, and the movement seems to have been slowing down before 1517.
The evidence of John Rous (c. 1490) enables us to say that depopulation had begun here well before 1485.
The Hodnell group of sites was probably decayed by 1428, and at Fullbrook we have only early fifteenth-century emparking.

p413
A translation of part of John Rous' list of villages destroyed in his lifetime, late fifteenth century ----

Transcription kindly submitted by Wendy Boland

Alvescote by Stratford,

Ascote,

Baddesley Clinton (for the most part newly emparked),

Bickmarsh,

Billesley,

Brookhampton,

Burmington Parva,

Cawston on Dunsmore,

Charlecote, (almost wholly emparked),

Chelmscote,

Church Charwelton * (see note below)

Compton Murdock,

Compton Scorpion,

Foxcote (almost entirely)

Goldicote,

Hodnell,

Homburn, (which is being mutilated),

Hunscote,

Idlicote (for the most part)

Kites Hardwick,

Milcote,

Morton Morrel,

Nedon (Poden) by Honeybourne,

Norton,

Over Caldecote,

Radboun,

Rodbrook and Redburn,

Salemorton,

Stoke,

The Three Dishfords,

Thornton,

Trussell,

Westcote,

Weston,

Willington,

Wolfhampcote,

* on the border of Warwick and other places to London. Now travellers are forced to leave the old road and go down to Lower Charwelton.

There is much danger for all these places are now totally or partly destroyed.
It arises from avaricious men.
All those villages are either destroyed or attacked, and this is great pity.
And as I see it so I set it down : how many tenants did these villages have in the 7th and 8th years of the reign of Edward !? (1279).
Upper Wodcote had 13 and Lower Wodcote had 14.
Compton Murdock- now only a manor and a church- had 27 tenants, bond and free. There was also a small rectory.
Knigton (or Chesterton Parva as it is sometimes called) had 11 tenants.
Compton Scorpion had 60....."

Further info could probably be found on the Historical Manuscripts Commission web site- URL escapes me- the Archaeological Soc for the Midlands probably have loads of snippets in their publications (Birmingham branch??)

See also "The Lost Villages of Britain by Richard Muir"

For Wolfhampcote etc. see the Villages around Rugby website.

ëWarwickshire Index Page

Deserted Villages in Warwickshire

Great Property in Hungary - Still very reasonable Look and Buy now Hungary joined the European Community - 1 May 2004 !