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Summary

A good clear site with the usual network of sunken roads and rectangular house enclosure and crofts. The Manor site comprises a very extensive moat with large earthworks.

Monument Type(s):

• DESERTED SETTLEMENT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)

Protected Status:

• Scheduled Monument 1006848: Deserted village of Boughton, NW of Manor Farm
• SHINE: Earthwork remains associated with the deserted medieval settlement of Boughton
• SHINE: Cropmark remains of former enclosures and possible trackways, west of Boughton Lodge Farm

Full description

R4, The deserted village of Boughton. In 1279 it had 6 villeins and 13 cottars according to the Hundred Rolls. In 1316 it was linked with Diddington.
O1, The whole area is covered with banks and ditches of some antiquity but nothing recognizable as remains of a village. Features could be gravel workings and drainage and it is impossible to be certain.
O2, The remains are typical DMV with many garden enclosures visible but few building sites. The main occupation area appears to have been on the valley floor and the enclosures here are distinguished by much subdivision, encroached on by ridge and furrow, suggesting it is very early. Also ridge and furrow to the W but it ends uniformly against a ditch which delimits the village on that side. At the SE corner of the site on the most dominant part of the ridge is a strongly ditched, defensive enclosure of generally rectangular form, so mutilated by gravel digging that its character could be questioned. The enclosed area measures 115.0m by 60.0m at its widest and 35.0m at its narrowest. One sherd of St Neots ware pottery found in a mole hill (OS, 25/11/1982). Surveyed at 1:2500on MSD.
R1, Deserted village. (R Palmer 14/07/1983, CUCAP AP AZX 42 used).
R5, Part of a possible curvilinear enclosure with parallel ditched entrance. Some possibly geological or recent field boundaries. Plotted at 1:10000. (R Palmer 01/11/1991, Air Photo Services AP91,55/15 used).

6. Visible as cropmark and earthwork features on the 2013 aerial photographs extending beyond the SM extent to the south.

7-10. The Bedford Borough NMP project confirmed the presence of the earthworks extending to the south of the scheduled area. These features were visible on LIDAR imagery dated to 2016 and aerial photography dated between 1999 and 2008.

CUCAP APs 23/05/1959 XS 85 - 89,11/11/1960 ADO 13 - 19, AWN 47, 49, 50, 24/10/1969 AZS 50 - 54,05/11/1969 AZX 42 - 44, 05/11/1974 BRN 89 - 92, 14/04/1982RC8-EH 265 - 267 (Aerial Photograph). SCB3165.

RAF APs 106G/UK/635 3406 , 3407 (Aerial Photograph). SCB12193.

Beresford, M., 1963, The Lost Villages of England, p. 357 (Bibliographic reference). SCB1445.

Hundred Rolls of 1279 (Bibliographic reference). SCB1468.

Air Photo Services APs, 91,55/15 (Aerial Photograph). SCB536.

<6> CHET, 2016, Observations from 2013 CCC Aerial Photographs, 26/03/2018 (Verbal communication). SCB47636.

<7> Bedford Borough NMP, 2018, LIDAR TL 1964 Environment Agency 1m DTM 01-JAN-1998–23-AUG-2016 (Geospatial data). SCB54387.

<8> Bedford Borough NMP, 2018, NMR 26109/40 08-OCT-2008 (Aerial Photograph). SCB54390.

<9> Bedford Borough NMP, 2018, EARTH.GOOGLE.COM 01-JAN-2005 (Aerial Photograph). SCB54389.

<10> Bedford Borough NMP, 2018, NMR 18351/24 02-JUL-1999 (Aerial Photograph). SCB54388.

<11> Dickson, R., Field Investigator Comments (Verbal communication). SCB60613.

<12> 1995, Monuments Protection Programme Database (printout for SMV's) (Digital archive). SCB17573.

Sources and further reading

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