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) |