Gainsthorpe
Encyclopedia
Deserted medieval village
In the United Kingdom, a deserted medieval village is a former settlement which was abandoned during the Middle Ages, typically leaving no trace apart from earthworks or cropmarks. If there are fewer than three inhabited houses the convention is to regard the site as deserted; if there are more...
(DMV) site in a field which is part of the present Gainsthorpe Farm in Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The site is in Hibaldstow parish located on a minor road west of the A15 road, south of Hibaldstow
Hibaldstow
Hibaldstow is a village and civil parish on the B1206, south of Brigg and the M180, in North Lincolnshire, England. The deserted medieval village of Gainsthorpe is situated nearby.-History:...
and 5 miles south-west of Brigg.
It is now in the care of English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
. There is a small car park from where a footpath of about two hundred metres leads to the site. The typical medieval layout of sunken roads and raised rectangular tofts and crofts is clearly seen in the humps and hollows
Earthworks (archaeology)
In archaeology, earthwork is a general term to describe artificial changes in land level. Earthworks are often known colloquially as 'lumps and bumps'. Earthworks can themselves be archaeological features or they can show features beneath the surface...
of the field.