THE DESERTED MEDIEVAL VILLAGE OF ORFORD HAD TWENTY-FOUR OCCUPANTS IN 1377 BUT ONLY ONE FAMILY BY 1563. {1} THE VILLAGE WAS FORMERLY THE CENTRE OF A SEPARATE PARISH. IT MAY HAVE BEEN DELIBERATELY RELOCATED IN THIS POSITION AFTER THE PREMONSTRATENSIAN PRIORY (PRN 50709) HAD BEEN ESTABLISHED ON ITS EARLIER SITE. BY THE SECOND HALF OF THE C12 THERE WAS A PARISH CHURCH AT ORFORD, WHICH WAS THEN GRANTED TO ORFORD PRIORY. THE REMAINS OF THE VILLAGE ARE IN GOOD CONDITION, BUT THE SURVIVING EARTHWORKS HAVE AN APPARENTLY CURIOUS ARRANGEMENT. THE MAIN FEATURE OF THE SITE IS A LINE OF WELL-PRESERVED HOUSE SITES EXTENDING ALONG THE NORTHWEST OF THE SITE WITH, IN MOST CASES, SMALL CLOSES OR PADDOCKS BOUNDED BY LOW SCARPS EXTENDING DOWN THE HILLSIDE BEHIND THEM. THIS LAYOUT SUGGESTS THAT THESE HOUSES ONCE LAY ALONG A STREET IMMEDIATELY TO THE NORTHWEST BUT NO TRACE OF THIS EXISTS IN THE PRESENT ARABLE FIELD AND INDEED PARTS OF AT LEAST TWO HOUSE SITES EXTEND NORTHWEST UNDER THE MODERN CULTIVATION LYNCHET WHICH FORMS THE BOUNDARY OF THE SITE. IT IS PROBABLE THAT THERE WAS ONCE A STREET, BEING PART OF A VALLEY-SIDE ROAD BETWEEN STAINTON AND SWINHOPE, BUT THAT IT WAS ABANDONED AFTER THE DESERTION OF THE VILLAGE AND ITS AREA INCORPORATED INTO THE ADJACENT ARABLE LAND. EXTENDING SOUTHEAST DOWN THE VALLEY SIDES ARE 2 SUBSIDIARY HOLLOW-WAYS, ONCE PRESUMABLY CONNECTED WITH THE MAIN STREET. THAT TO THE SOUTHWEST EXTENDS ALMOST TO THE STREAM WHERE IT MEETS A MUCH LARGER CURVING HOLLOW-WAY, WHICH DIVIDES THE VILLAGE SITE FROM THAT OF ORFORD PRIORY TO THE SOUTHWEST. FOR A MORE DETAILED DESCRIPTION SEE EVERSON, TAYLOR AND DUNN. {3}~, HTM 65M