The Rural Settlements of Medieval England: Studies Dedicated to Maurice Beresford and John Hurst

Over the last thirty years, the study of medieval rural settlements has been completely transformed. The origins and expansion of settlements are now as much the focus of interest as their decline. This interpretation evinces a much fuller appreciation of the role played by the lords of the manor and other individuals in the history of settlement. These very considerable changes in interpretation are fully reflected in this wide-ranging collection of essays, written by a distinguished team of archaeologists, historians and historical geographers. Its authors use documents, aerial photography, fieldwork, excavation, and the analysis of botanical remains to reconstruct the medieval landscape. The first part of the book examines the history and geography of settlements; the documentary evidence for early medieval estate and settlement patterns; initiative and authority in settlement change; the growth and decline of medieval rural settlements, and the significance of the Wolds in English settlement history. Part two combines regional fieldwork studies with more detailed case studies. These include studies of deserted settlements in the West of England; deserted medieval settlements in the South-West Midlands; the archaeology of medieval rural settlement in East Anglia; medieval settlement remains and historical conservation, and field systems and township structures. The final section is concerned with excavation, and again combines regional with more detailed case studies. It contains chapters on the excavation of dispersed settlement in medieval Britain; peasant houses, farmsteads and villages in North-East England, and environmental archaeology. The book closes with a consideration of the relationship between archaeological and historical method, and its application to the study of rural settlement.