Monument record MLI42850 - Settlement of Burwell

Summary

The settlement of Burwell is first mentioned in the Domesday Book and survives to the present.

Type and Period (8)

  • (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • (Early Medieval/Dark Age to Medieval - 1000 AD to 1539 AD)
  • (Medieval - 1200 AD to 1399 AD)
  • (Medieval to Post Medieval - 1100 AD to 1799 AD)
  • (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • (Post Medieval - 1540 AD? to 1900 AD?)
  • (Post Medieval - 1540 AD? to 1900 AD?)

Protected Status/Designation

  • None recorded

Full Description

Burwell is first mentioned in the Domesday Book. The name is thought to derive from the Old English words 'burh' and 'wella', meaning 'the spring by the fortified place'. Land there was owned by Ansgot: 'Godric had 2 carucates of land (assessed) to the geld. There is land for 8 teams. Ansgot has 3 teams there in demesne, and 23 villeins and 6 bordars with 6 teams. There is a church there, and 1 mill rendering 3 shillings, and wood(land) for pannage 1 league in length and 1 in breadth. Tempore Regis Edwardi (before 1066) it was worth 16 pounds; now 15 pounds; tallage 40 shillings.' {1}{2} The Lay Subsidy of 1334 lists the settlement's wealth as £1 1s 10d, with this being one of the smallest amounts in its wapentake (Louthesk). {3} A charter was acquired by Philip of Kyme in 1300 for a market to be held in the village on Thursdays. The Poll Tax returns of 1377 record the number of taxpayers at this time as 119. {4} The Diocesan Return of 1563 records 22 households in the parish. {5} Burwell was recorded together with Walmsgate in the Diocesan Census, which lists 12 families in these villages by the late 17th century, including 2 at Walmsgate. This had risen to 17 by the early 18th century. One of these families was noted as being Anabaptist. {6} Notable residents of the village in 1856 are listed in White's Directory. 153 souls were recorded as being in the parish at this time. {7} A possible moated site has been identified to the north of Burwell. {8}{9} Earthwork remains of the medieval settlement still survive in part around the present village of Burwell, as seen on aerial photographs examined by the National Mapping Programme. The earthworks includes the remains of former tofts, crofts, platforms and boundaries. This interpretation of the earthworks does not include a moated site. {10} Sherds of Stamford ware and other pottery dating from the 12th to 18th centuries have been found at the northern end of Burwell (PRN 42850a - TF 355 797). {11} Features very likely associated with post-medieval occupation and street frontage activity were recorded in July 2001, during archaeological monitoring of new development at Plot 1, Main Road (PRN 42850b - TF 3546 7962). The features comprised the remains of a wall, formed of three courses of handmade bricks, and a floor, also of handmade bricks, bedded on a thin layer of friable semi-bonded lime mortar. It was thought very likely that these features had originally formed part of a roadside dwelling of post-medieval date. The remains of two pits and a steep sided rubbish pit or latrine were also recorded during the monitoring, with small quantities of post-medieval brick and tile being recovered from an overlying layer of buried garden soil. Although not closely dated, it was thought likely that the features represented refuse disposal pits, associated with the post-medieval occupation of the site. {12}{13} The remains of a north to south aligned ditch was recorded in January 2005, during trial trenching on land at the Stag's Head Inn (PRN 42850c - TF 3552 7957). Ten sherds of 13th to 14th century Toynton Medieval ware pottery were recovered from the fill of the ditch, suggesting a medieval date for this feature. The evaluation also recorded the presence of a probable former well, very likely associated with 19th century activity at the Stag's Head Inn. {14}{15}

Sources/Archives (15)

  •  Bibliographic Reference: C.W. Foster and T. Longley. 1924. Lincolnshire Domesday and Lindsey Survey. 55/1.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: Kenneth Cameron. 1998. A Dictionary of Lincolnshire Place-Names. p.24.
  •  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.130.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: Graham Platts. 1985. Land and People in Medieval Lincolnshire. Appendix 1, p.306.
  •  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. pp.25-26, 136.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: William White. 1856. History, Gazetteer and Directory of Lincolnshire - Second Edition. pp.224-5.
  •  Article in Serial: ABERG A. 1976. MOATED SITES RESEARCH GROUP. vol.3, p.28.
  •  Aerial Photograph: J.K.S. St Joseph. 1945-79. Cambridge University Collection. AMV 52.
  •  Map: Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England. 1992-1996. National Mapping Programme. TF3579: LI.85.1.1-7.
  •  Index: Lincolnshire County Council. Sites and Monuments Record Card Index. TF 37 NE: A1.
  •  Report: Pre-Construct Archaeology (Lincoln). 2001. Plot 1, Main Road, Burwell. PCA site code: MRBL 01.
  •  Archive: Pre-Construct Archaeology (Lincoln). 2001. Plot 1, Main Road, Burwell. LCNCC 2001.179.
  •  Report: Marc Berger. 2005. Stag's Head Inn, Burwell. MB site code: BUR1/03.
  •  Archive: Marc Berger. 2005. Stag's Head Inn, Burwell. LCNCC 2004.244.

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Location

Grid reference Centred TF 3562 7961 (438m by 526m) Estimated from sources
Civil Parish BURWELL, EAST LINDSEY, LINCOLNSHIRE

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Record last edited

Mar 21 2021 8:35PM

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