More information : TF 07473132 Church (NR) (Site of) (NAT) (1) The Church of All Saints at Laughton, which stood in a hollow west of the turnpike road near a farmhouse, was in ruins by the time of Elizabeth 1; the churchyard can still be traced. East and West Laughton (Loctone) occur in Domesday. There were 17 families temp Elizabeth; by about 1825 there were 11. Slight traces of earthworks are visible on air photographs at West Laughton, area TF 075313. Nothing is to be seen at Laughton TF 079317. (2-6)
Surveyed 1:2500. (7) Listed as a deserted Medieval village. (8) The published site of West Laughton church is covered by a farm building, local information suggests the churchyard to have been to the immediate northwest where bones are still encountered whenever a hole is dug. The village is represented by trackways, ditches of maximum depth 0.4m and steadings maximum height 0.5m, and occupies some 3.0 acres. It is situated along the south side of a stream in pasture 50.0m above sea level and rig and furrow is evident to the north and south. A small area to the immediate east has recently been ploughed and the earthworks destroyed. No finds were made. St Joseph APs AHA 76 25 6 63, AHB 16-18 30 5 63, BLJ 71-2 74 16 1 73 and BLJ 73 16 73 cover the site, but were not available for inspection. Surveyed on 1:2500 AM. (9)
The Medieval settlement of West Laughton referred to by the previous authorities has been mapped from good quality air photographs. The settlement was visible as earthworks to the south west of Laughton Farm and was visible as cropmarks to the south east of the farm. None of the remains were specifically identifiable as those of the church and churchyard of All Saints referred to by the previous authorities. The remains of tofts were visible as ditch defined enclosures ranged along the north and south of the stream running through the settlement. The tofts to the north of the stream, centred at TF 0742 3124, were very fragmentary and the area is very disturbed by later quarrying. The tofts to the south of the stream, centred at TF 0743 3119, were better preserved and had average dimensions of 50m by 40m. Within these tofts were the remains of four possible buildings centred at TF 0734 3119, TF 0739 3119, TF 0742 3116, and TF 0751 3122. These were visible as small bank defined rectilinear enclosures ranging in size from 5m by 5m to 20m by 10m. Some small quarries, centred at TF 0742 3119 and TF 0748 3128 could also indicate the site of other buildings which have had there materials robbed. Immediately east of the tofts, centred at TF 0769 3128, are further tofts which were visible as earthworks on the earlier photography but visible latterly as cropmarks. This is the 'small area to the immediate east' referred to by authority 9. Within these tofts were the possible remains of buildings visible as a bank defined enclosure 25m by 5m centred at TF 0765 3130. Adjacent to this was a large pond centred at TF 0763 3129. Behind the two main areas of tofts were crofts. To the north of the village, centred at TF 0734 3126, these were visible rectilinear conjoined enclosures. To the south of the village, centred at TF 0744 3109, the crofts were defined by a large block of ridge and furrow and the remnants of some ditch defined croft boundaries. (Morph No. LI.822.3.1-11)
This description is based on data from the RCHME MORPH2 database. (10) |