Monument record MLI53437 - Owersby Settlement

Summary

The settlement of Owersby has it origins in the Anglo-Saxon period and survives to the present day. It is now divided into two parts, being North and South Owersby.

Type and Period (7)

  • (Early Medieval/Dark Age to Modern - 850 AD to 2050 AD)
  • (Early Medieval/Dark Age to Post Medieval - 850 AD to 1900 AD)
  • (Early Medieval/Dark Age - 600 AD to 800 AD)
  • (Medieval to Post Medieval - 1066 AD to 1900 AD)
  • (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)

Protected Status/Designation

  • None recorded

Full Description

It has been suggested that the name Owersby is derived from an Old Norse personal name. In 1929 the assize rolls name the village as Longe Ouresbi, presumably as a reference to a straggling village. {1} Domesday records six separate manors, two mills, and a minimum population of 90. {2} In 1781 there were 50 families living in Owersby but by 1721 this had dropped to 41. {3} By the 19th century Owersby was split into two, North and South Owersby. In 1801 the population of North Owersby was 223, it rose steadily until 1861 when it peaked at 421, by 1901 the population was counted at 305. South Owersby's population in 1801 was 89, peaking in 1821 at 136 after which the population rose and fell and in 1901 stood at 87. {4} The settlement remains of North and South Owersby, formerly part of Owersby were once the south section of a long line of medieval settlements, which stretched for almost 4km across undulating clayland. The north section comprised of the former villages of Thornton le Moor (see PRN's 53439, 53440, 53441), Beasthorpe (see PRN's 53443, 53444), and Cauthorpe. Cauthorpe, Beasthorpe, and Thornton le Moor (all in the former parish of Thornton le Moor) were included together in at least nine separate settlement nuclei extending in a north-south line, each arranged around east-west streets. From the later 16th century, documentary sources often divided Owersby into two parts, one of which is usually returned to Osgodby. There was a major period of depopulation in the 17th century, from which it did not recover. This was probably connected with the conversion to pasture. The individual nuclei are still separated by ridge and furrow, which also underlay some of the settlement earthworks. Until the 1960s the existing villages and hamlets were all associated with areas of former occupation and at least four of them were completely deserted sites, most of the earthworks are now destroyed. {5} Earthworks of the former settlement have been identified on aerial photography by the National Mapping Programme. {6}{7} There have been many finds of early medieval pottery at various locations in this area, including sherds of Saxo-Norman greywares. {8}{9} Large and small stones and rubble together with foundations of several dwellings have been found in the area of the village remains. Stamford and Shelly ware dating to the 12th-13th centuries has been found in the village as well as much later pottery including Raeren stoneware. {10}{11}{12}{13}{14} A fragment of a 7th-8th century cruciform brooch, and a complete 7th-8th century Anglo-Saxon strap end were found in this area during the Kingerby metal detecting rally. Finds of medieval and post-medieval date were also found. {15}{16} Earthwork remains of medieval ridge and furrow and several former house platforms were identified during a site visit to land at Tyddyn Uchaf, South Owersby (PRN 53437a - TF 0628 9384). {17} An east to west aligned enclosure boundary ditch was revealed during archaeological monitoring on land to the south of Church Farmhouse, Church Lane, North Owersby (PRN 53437b - TF 0624 9469). A sherd of 13th to 15th century pottery and three sherds of late 16th to 18th century pottery were recovered. {18}{19} A deposit interpreted as the remains of a medieval furrow was identified in September 2013, during the archaeological monitoring of new development at Bridge House, Osgodby Road, South Owersby (PRN 53437c - TF 0632 9369). A small assemblage of fired clay fragments and medieval pottery, dating from the 11th to 13th centuries, was recovered from the furrow, which was aligned on a rough north to south axis. Two pits of likely medieval date were also identified; one cut into the furrow, and the other beneath it. Although no dateable material was recovered from either feature, they were thought likely to be associated with the medieval activity around Owersby, given their stratigraphic relationship to the furrow. {20}{21}

Sources/Archives (21)

  •  Bibliographic Reference: Kenneth Cameron. 1998. A Dictionary of Lincolnshire Place-Names. p.95.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: C.W. Foster and T. Longley. 1924. Lincolnshire Domesday and Lindsey Survey. xxxii, lxxxiv, 4/74, 7/28, 16/18, 22/5-7, 32/6, 68/42, 70/16, L7,2-4, 12, 15, 20.
  •  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.94.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: William Page (ed). 1906. The Victoria County History: Lincolnshire - Volume 2. p.374.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: P.L. Everson, C.C. Taylor and C.J. Dunn. 1991. Change and Continuity: Rural Settlement in North-West Lincolnshire. pp.149-51.
  •  Map: Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England. 1992-1996. Lincolnshire National Mapping Programme. LI.504: 4, 7, 9, 12, 1-4, 1994.
  •  Aerial Photograph: Paul Everson. 1975-90. RCHM. 2983/22, 1977.
  •  Artefact: City and County Museum Collection. LM 144.70.
  •  Article in Serial: J.B. Whitwell and Catherine M. Wilson. 1969. LINCOLNSHIRE HISTORY AND ARCHAEOLOGY. vol.4, p.106.
  •  Index: Lincolnshire County Council. Sites and Monuments Record Card Index. TF 09 NE: P, Q; TF 09 SE: W.
  •  Index: Ordnance Survey. Ordnance Survey Card Index. TF 09 NE: 14.
  •  Artefact: City and County Museum Collection. LM 152.76, LM 144 .70, LM 15.70.
  •  Unpublished Document: PARROTT K. PARISH FILE. OWERSBY. -.
  •  Article in Serial: Catherine M. Wilson. 1970. 'Archaeological Notes for 1969' in Lincolnshire History and Archaeology. vol.5, p.13.
  •  Unpublished Document: Dave Hopkins. 1999. Kingerby Metal Detecting Rally Notes. Kingerby 179-86, 219-20, 228, 250-52, 275, 280, 283, 289, 316-17, 320.
  •  Photograph: Dave Hopkins. 1999. Kingerby Metal Detecting Rally Photographs. photo 63, 64, 69, 71, 75, 86, 88, 93, 96.
  •  Report: Pre-Construct Archaeology (Lincoln). 2005. Desk Based Assessment of Land at Tyddyn Uchaf, South Owersby. -.
  •  Report: Neville Hall. 2009. Archaeological Monitoring on land to the south of Church Farmhouse, Church Lane, North Owersby. CFNO09.
  •  Archive: Neville Hall. 2009. Archaeological Monitoring on land to the south of Church Farmhouse, Church Lane, North Owersby. LCNCC 2009.78.
  •  Report: Pre-Construct Archaeological Services Ltd. 2014. Bridge House, Osgodby Road, South Owersby. PCAS site code: SOBM13.
  •  Archive: Pre-Construct Archaeological Services Ltd. 2014. Bridge House, Osgodby Road, South Owersby. LCNCC 2013.143.

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Grid reference Centred TF 0608 9466 (977m by 2396m) Estimated from sources
Civil Parish OWERSBY, WEST LINDSEY, LINCOLNSHIRE

Related Monuments/Buildings (5)

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Record last edited

May 21 2024 9:41AM

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