Monument record MLI43299 - Settlement of Huttoft

Summary

Settlement in Huttoft appears to date to the early Anglo-Saxon period, through to the present day.

Type and Period (12)

  • (Early Medieval/Dark Age to Modern - 410 AD to 2050 AD)
  • (Early Medieval/Dark Age - 850 AD to 1065 AD)
  • (Early Medieval/Dark Age - 410 AD to 699 AD)
  • (Medieval - 1200 AD to 1300 AD)
  • (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • (Medieval - 1200 AD to 1300 AD)
  • (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • (Unknown date)
  • (Unknown date)
  • (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Protected Status/Designation

  • None recorded

Full Description

The settlement of Huttoft originated in the early Anglo-Saxon period. The name may derive from ‘hoh’ from the Old English meaning ‘a heel, a spur of land’, and Old Danish, meaning ‘a house and outbuildings, a curtilage, a messuage’. The church and the adjacent land to the west are in an elevated position overlooking the surrounding landscape. It is very likely that the core of the early settlement and any manorial complex was located somewhere on this high spot. Indeed, fieldwork on land at Alford Road, to the west of the church has revealed some evidence of this. An evaluation in 1995 (PRN 43299a - TF 5108 7644) in this area revealed a deposit containing eight sherds of early Anglo-Saxon pottery and a small piece of copper alloy working slag, and a ditch containing late ninth to tenth century pottery. Evidence for medieval pits and ditches containing thirteenth century pottery were also revealed. {1}{2}{3} During a watching brief on land to the east of the church at Huttoft Primary School, a north/south aligned ditch containing two sherds of 5th to 7th century pottery was recorded at about TF 5123 7643 (PRN 43299b), thought to be a drain or property boundary. See also PRN 43987. {4}{5} During a watching brief at Church Lane (TF 5106 7644 - PRN 43299c) on the construction of a road early medieval and medieval pottery was recovered from modern deposits. The pottery dates from the fifth to eighth century and the thirteenth to fifteenth century. The dating of the finds is similar to that of remains found previously in the vicinity. This suggests that there was activity at these dates on or close to this area. The hiatus between these dates suggests that activity in this area decreased during these periods. {6}{7} As well as the focus of settlement identified around the church, there appears to be another focus of medieval settlement at the north end of the village. This may mean that this was a polyfocal settlement or that there were shifts in the populated areas (PRN 43299d - TF 5162 7772). {2} Remains of medieval settlement have been noted on aerial photographs as surviving as earthworks from all over the village. The features include tofts, crofts, field boudnaries, macula, boundary ditch, ridge and furrow field system, enclosures, a pond and a drain (PRN 43299d, h - TF 5133 7718, I - TF5184 7690, j - TF 5167 7637, k - TF 5092 7660, l - TF 5134 7649, m - TF 5125 7663). {9} Further features were recorded in the 2002 watching brief at Church Lane (TF 5106 7644 - PRN 43299c), which were tentatively to the medieval period, due to the presence of ceramic building material in some of the fill deposits. The features comprise three ditches and two pits. It is suggested that these features may have agricultural functions, due to the lack of finds, and may have been peripheral to settlement. {6}{7} Evidence for post medieval settlement in Huttoft was identified during the 1995 evaluation at Alford Road. Fifteenth to eighteenth century pottery was recovered, and foundations of nineteenth century structures were recorded (RPN 43299a - TF 5108 7644). During a further watching brief carried out to the west of the church at Plot 3, Church Road, in the Alford Road area a post medieval pit and pond were identified (PRN 43299 - TF 5100 7644). During the watching brief at Huttoft Primary School, to the east of the church (TF 5123 7643), a post medieval pit of probable agricultural function was recorded (PRN 43299 - TF 5123 7643). {2}{3}{13}{14}{4}{5} An archaeological watching brief undertaken between the 28th October 2002 to 4 May 2003, identified limited archaeology; two modern pit-like features and a single medieval / post-medieval pot sherd (PRN 43299 - TF 5100 7641). {15}{16} A watching brief on land at Plot 16, Alford Road (25th November 2002) found evidence for two undated ditches and a modern wall. It is possible that the ditches may represent medieval field boundary ditches (PRN 43299 - TF 5110 7640). {17}{18} An archaeological watching brief on land at Plot 4, Alford Road, Huttoft identified a spread of undated burnt natural within the the southern area of the foundation footprint, providing the possibility of a burnt pit or bonfire beneath the southern baulk edge. No other archaeological features were encountered (PRN 43299 - TF 5108 7644). {19}{20} Archaeological watching brief monitoring groundworks for a self-build residential development at Plot 13, Alford Road, Huttoft was undertaken on the 7th May 2003. No significant archaeological features or deposits were discovered. Two residual sherds of late-medieval pottery were found (PRN 43299 - TF 5108 7644). {21}{22} An archaeological watching brief was undertaken during residential development on land at Alford Road, Huttoft (PRN 43299 - TF 5110 7640). The watching brief monitored the stripping of topsoil in advance of the excavation of foundation trenches. The investigation revealed a single north to south aligned, post-medieval ditch cut into a sequence of natural deposits. This ditch aligns well with a north to south ditch identified during a previous watching brief which, although undated, contained ceramic building material (Event LI4061). {23}{24} There are several entries in the Domesday Book, including two manors and two areas of sokeland, and it is also documented in the Lindsey Survey of 1115. {8} In 1563 80 households were recorded in the Diocesan Returns, which appears to be a relatively large settlement for the area. By the early eighteenth century this had fallen to around 66 families. {10}{11} In 1801 the population was 286. During the nineteenth century the population peaked at 710 in 1861, and 1901, this had fallen to 496. This was still a relatively large population for the area. {12} Geophysical survey on land off Mumby Road (TF 512 764) recorded anomalies corresponding with the medieval enclosure noted on aerial photographs (PRN 43299l). No other archaeological features were recorded. {25}

Sources/Archives (25)

  •  Bibliographic Reference: Kenneth Cameron. 1998. A Dictionary of Lincolnshire Place-Names. page 68.
  •  Report: LINDSEY ARCHAEOLOGICAL SERVICES. 1995. ALFORD ROAD, HUTTOFT. HT95.
  •  Archive: LINDSEY ARCHAEOLOGICAL SERVICES. 1995. ALFORD ROAD, HUTTOFT. LCNCC 87.95.
  •  Report: Archaeological Project Services. Jan 2001. Huttoft Primary School, Church Lane, Huttoft. HTP00.
  •  Archive: Archaeological Project Services. Jan 2001. Huttoft Primary School, Church Lane, Huttoft. LCNCC 2000.219.
  •  Report: Archaeological Project Services. 2002. Land at Church Road, Huttoft. HCR02.
  •  Archive: Archaeological Project Services. 2002. Land at Church Lane, Huttoft. LCNCC 2002.145.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: C.W. Foster and T. Longley. 1924. Lincolnshire Domesday and Lindsey Survey. 13/8; 27/60-61; 68/14; 69/16, 17; LS: 15/1.
  •  Map: Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England. 1992-1996. National Mapping Programme. LI.389.1.1-13, 1993.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: Gerald A.J. Hodgett. 1975. Tudor Lincolnshire. -.
  •  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. page 67.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: William Page (ed). 1906. The Victoria County History: Lincolnshire - Volume 2. page 367.
  •  Report: Archaeological Project Services. 2002. Land at plot 3, Church Road, Huttoft.. CRH02.
  •  Archive: Archaeological Project Services. 2002. Land at plot 3, Church Road, Huttoft.. LCNCC 2002.145.
  •  Report: Lindsey Archaeological Services. May 2003. Plot 1, Church Lane, Huttoft. HCLB02.
  •  Archive: Lindsey Archaeological Services. May 2003. Plot 1, Church Lane, Huttoft. LCNCC 2002.465.
  •  Report: Archaeological Project Services. Feb 2003. Archaeological Watching Brief on Land at plot 16, Alford Road, Huttoft. HARA02.
  •  Archive: Archaeological Project Services. Feb 2003. Archaeological Watching Brief on Land at plot 16, Alford Road, Huttoft. LCNCC 2002.503.
  •  Report: Lindsey Archaeological Services. July 2003. Plot 4, Alford Road, Huttoft; Archaeological Watching Brief. HUAR03.
  •  Archive: Lindsey Archaeological Services. July 2003. Plot 4, Alford Road, Huttoft; Archaeological Watching Brief. LCNCC 2003.90.
  •  Report: Lindsey Archaeological Services. July 2003. Plot 13, Alford Road, Huttoft; Archaeological Watching Brief. HUAM03.
  •  Archive: Lindsey Archaeological Services. July 2003. Plot 13, Alford Road, Huttoft; Archaeological Watching Brief. LCNCC 2003.91.
  •  Report: Archaeological Project Services. April 2003. Archaeological watching brief on land off Alford Road, Huttoft. HCR03.
  •  Archive: Archaeological Project Services. April 2003. Archaeological watching brief on land off Alford Road, Huttoft. LCNCC 2003.145.
  •  Report: GSB Prospection Ltd. 2006. Geophysical Survey Report: Land at Mumby Road, Huttoft. -.

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Grid reference Centred TF 5143 7710 (1354m by 1780m)
Civil Parish HUTTOFT, EAST LINDSEY, LINCOLNSHIRE

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Record last edited

Mar 21 2021 8:35PM

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