Monument record MLI42484 - Settlement of Sutterby

Summary

The settlement of Sutterby has its origins in the late Anglo-Saxon period, and survives as a small hamlet to the present day.

Type and Period (3)

  • (Early Medieval/Dark Age to Modern - 600 AD? to 2050 AD)
  • (Early Medieval/Dark Age to Post Medieval - 600 AD? to 1900 AD)
  • (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)

Protected Status/Designation

  • None recorded

Full Description

The settlement of Sutterby has it origins in the late Anglo-Saxon period. The name of the village means ‘the shoemakers’ village’ and comes from Old Norse with the Old Danish ‘by’. {1} The village is first recorded in Domesday Book (1086) where it is part of the Soke (or estate) of Greetwell held by Hugh d'Avranches the Earl of Chester. This estate was enormous with land holdings in 35 villages. Sutterby’s entry in Domesday is combined with Dalby and Dexthorpe and so it is not possible to give any indication of its size from this source. However, a generation later, in 1115, the Lindsey Survey also recorded a holding in Sutterby held by Hugh’s son, Richard, who had succeeded him as Earl of Chester. This is undoubtedly the same holding and is recorded, in 1115, as being of two carucates and four bovates (about 300 acres). It was probably of a similar size in 1086. {2} In 1334 the Lay Subsidy Returns assigned a value of 12s.6d. to Sutterby which was the lowest in the area. The value of the village was, in fact, less than 15% of the average value of villages in the Wapentake. {3} Several years later in 1377 the Poll Tax returns recorded 29 taxpayers over the age of fourteen in Sutterby, indicating a total population of perhaps about 45 people. {4} Sutterby seems to have always been a small village. The population of Sutterby gradually declined from the 16th century until the beginning of the 19th century. In 1563 there were eight households in the parish as recorded in the Diocesan returns for that year. {5} In the early 18th century (about 1715) there were five families recorded in Sutterby in the Diocesan censuses. {6} By 1801 the population was only 28 people. The population then rose over the next fifty years to 53 in 1851. In 1856 Sutterby was described as a secluded village with five houses and 53 souls. The population then dropped during the second half of the 19th century to stand at 21 people in 1901. {7}{8} Slight traces of probably medieval earthworks were noted to the south of the church. The site was levelled and ploughed in the autumn of 1971. The earthworks extended about 180m south of the disused church and were about 140m wide. Pottery dating from the late Saxon period to the 18th century was collected by Rex Russell and his wife. There was only one area with medieval pottery. These earthworks were visible on aerial photographs and were identified by the National Mapping Programme. {9}{10}{11}{12}{13} Large quantities of medieval and post-medieval pottery were recovered in March 2014, during a programme of systematic field walking, conducted in the field to the west of the Church of St John the Baptist. The assemblage was recovered from across the field, although was mostly concentrated in the area to the immediate south-west of the church, along the line of the former road to Harrington. The medieval pottery collection was largely comprised of sherds from relatively locally produced Toynton ware vessels, although pieces from Bourne Medieval ware, Lincoln glazed ware, Stamford ware and Early Medieval shell tempered ware vessels were also present. Other finds of possible (though uncertain) medieval origin included a pebble grinding stone or rubber, and a portion of a former whetstone. Remarkably few late medieval and early post-medieval pottery sherds were recovered during the survey, which may indicate a decline in the settlement during this period. The mid post-medieval pottery collection was larger, however, suggesting a possible revival in activity during the 17th and 18th centuries. This later collection of pottery was comprised of sherds from a wide variety of vessel types and fabrics, with pieces of brown and black glazed earthenwares, and glazed an unglazed red earthenwares being well represented. A small quantity of Anglo-Saxon pottery was also recovered during the survey, attesting to the earlier origins of the settlement. This smaller assemblage was comprised of sherds of Charnwood ware, greensand tempered ware and ironstone tempered ware, along with four sherds of hand-made pottery which may have been of Anglo-Saxon origin. {14} Further large quantities of medieval and post-medieval pottery were recovered in March 2015, during a second programme of systematic field walking, conducted in the field to the south of the village known as Home Field. The assemblage was again recovered from across the field, although concentrations of the dated pottery would suggest that the core of the early settlement was to the southern half of the site, with later activity expanding the settlement to the north. The medieval pottery assemblage was considerable, suggesting intensive domestic deposition in this area, especially from the later 13th to 16th centuries. The assemblage was again dominated by sherds from the locally produced Toynton ware vessels, although sherds of the earlier Stamford ware and Early Medieval wares were present, along with significant quantities of the later Toynton/Bolingbroke wares, suggesting a more continuous pattern of occupation in this part of the settlement. Other finds of probable medieval origin included part of a schist hone stone and a thin piece of roof tile. Post-medieval pottery was again collected in large quantities, with a similar wide range of vessel types and fabrics being present, including a variety of different earthenwares and stonewares. A further small quantity of Anglo-Saxon pottery was also recovered during the survey, again attesting to the earlier origins of the settlement. This smaller assemblage was similar in composition to that recovered from the earlier phase of field walking, and included sherds of Charnwood ware, greensand tempered ware and ironstone tempered ware. {15}

Sources/Archives (15)

  •  Bibliographic Reference: Kenneth Cameron. 1998. A Dictionary of Lincolnshire Place-Names. Sutterby.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: C.W. Foster and T. Longley. 1924. Lincolnshire Domesday and Lindsey Survey. 13/5, L14/7.
  •  Article in Serial: R.E. Glasscock. 1964. 'The Lay Subsidy of 1334 for Lincolnshire' in Lincolnshire Architectural and Archaeological Society Reports and Papers. vol.10.2, p.128.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: Graham Platts. 1985. Land and People in Medieval Lincolnshire. App.2, p.308.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: Gerald A.J. Hodgett. 1975. Tudor Lincolnshire. p.195.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: R.E.G. Cole. 1913. Speculum Dioeceseos Lincolniensis sub Episcopis Gul: Wake et Edm: Gibson A.D.1705-1723. Part 1: Archdeaconries of Lincoln and Stow. p.120.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: William Page (ed). 1906. The Victoria County History: Lincolnshire - Volume 2. p.368.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: William White. 1856. History, Gazetteer and Directory of Lincolnshire - Second Edition. p.532.
  •  Index: Lincolnshire County Council. Sites and Monuments Record Card Index. TF 37 SE: Y.
  •  Index: Ordnance Survey. Ordnance Survey Card Index. TF 37 SE: 4.
  •  Aerial Photograph: RAF. 1946-71. RAF POST WAR COLLECTION. 106G/UK;3047-8, 1946.
  •  Artefact: City and County Museum Collection. LM 290.76.
  •  Map: Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England. 1992-1996. National Mapping Programme. TF 3872: LI.27.1.1.
  •  Report: Spirit of Sutterby Project. 2014. Archaeological Field Walking Survey at Sutterby. SOS site code: SCF14.
  •  Report: Spirit of Sutterby Project. 2015. Second Archaeological Field Walking Survey at Sutterby. SOS site code: SHF15.

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Location

Grid reference Centred TF 3857 7230 (642m by 614m) Estimated from sources
Civil Parish LANGTON BY SPILSBY, EAST LINDSEY, LINCOLNSHIRE

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Record last edited

Mar 21 2021 8:35PM

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