Monument record MLI87888 - Settlement of South Somercotes

Summary

The settlement of South Somercotes has its origins in the Anglo-Saxon period and survives to the present day.

Type and Period (5)

  • (Early Medieval/Dark Age to Modern - 1000 AD to 2050 AD)
  • (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 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

South and North Somercotes are listed together in the Domesday Book (1086) as Summercotes. The first reference to South Somercotes ('Suth Sumercotes') was in 1294; the name derives from the Old English 'sumor' and 'cot' and means the cottages or huts which were used in the summer, implying that it was built up around the seasonal salt panning industry. {1}{2} In Domesday, north and south are not separated. The combined record has the King as the prinicpal landowner in the parish, holding 3 carucates of land. There is a minimum population of 49 people. By the Lindsey Survey of 1115, the King appears to have given his land in the parish to the Count of Brittany. {3} In 1334, the lay subsidy for the combined parish was £8 9s 3d which was more than average for the Louthesk wapentake, which implies that it was a wealthy parish at this time. {4} In 1377 there were 300 payers of poll tax in the combined parish. {5} In 1563 there were 44 households in South Somercotes. {6} In the early 18th century there were 36 families rising to 40 or 50 families a few years later. There was 1 presbyterian family. {7} The population was 284 in 1801 rising to 455 in 1871 and falling again to 392 in 1901. {8} Earthworks and cropmarks were identified on aerial photographs by the National Mapping Programme. These features were interpreted as: Enclosures (PRN 46133a-h: TF 4175 9369, TF 4184 9356, TF 4191 9386, TF 4186 9437, TF 4178 9419, TF 4158 9400, TF 4253 9427 and TF 4263 9417) Crofts (PRN 46133i - j: TF 4176 9361 and TF 4218 9393) Building Platforms (PRN 46133k - j: TF 4161 9397 and TF 4171 9416) Moats (PRN 46133m - n: TF 4234 9408 and TF 4242 9430) Boundary Bank (PRN 46133o - TF 4239 9409). {9} Some of the earthworks previously identified by the NMP (PRN's 46133a, b, e, i & j) were observed on a site visit in 2004, as part of the Lincolnshire Coastal Grazing Marsh project. {10} An enclosure conforming to one of the proposed moated sites (PRN 46133n) is depicted on the Ordnance Survey map of c.1905. {11} A number of undated deposits were identified around South Somercotes during the archaeological monitoring of the installation of a new sewerage scheme. The deposits consisted of buried ploughsoil and subsoil layers, thought to be indicative of former agricultural land around the village that has since been encroached upon by modern development. A small assemblage of medieval and post-medieval pottery and brick was also recovered and interpreted as material deriving from former manuring scatters. {12}{13}

Sources/Archives (13)

  •  Bibliographic Reference: Kenneth Cameron. 1998. A Dictionary of Lincolnshire Place-Names. p.113.
  •  Verbal Communication: Dennis, K.. June 2005-09. Personnal comment by Karen Dennis. -.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: C.W. Foster and T. Longley. 1924. Lincolnshire Domesday and Lindsey Survey. 1/86 16/40 40/24 69/8 L18/1, 3, 12, 13, 15, 16.
  •  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.131.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: Graham Platts. 1985. Land and People in Medieval Lincolnshire. p.306.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: Gerald A.J. Hodgett. 1975. Tudor Lincolnshire. p.196.
  •  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.111.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: William Page (ed). 1906. The Victoria County History: Lincolnshire - Volume 2. p.372.
  •  Map: Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England. 1992-1996. National Mapping Programme.
  •  Report: Lindsey Archaeological Services. 2004. Lincolnshire Coastal Grazing Marsh: Archaeological and Historical Data Collection. -.
  •  Map: Ordnance Survey. 1905. OS County Series six inch map 1905. paper. 1:10560.
  •  Report: Archaeological Project Services. 2007. Sewerage Scheme for South Somercotes. APS site code: SSSS 06.
  •  Archive: Archaeological Project Services. 2007. Sewerage Scheme for South Somercotes. LCNCC 2006.161.

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Location

Grid reference Centred TF 4162 9392 (1260m by 1024m) Estimated from sources
Civil Parish SOUTH SOMERCOTES, EAST LINDSEY, LINCOLNSHIRE

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Related Events/Activities (2)

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Record last edited

Jun 10 2021 2:35PM

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