Alethorpe is a

deserted medieval village In the United Kingdom, a deserted medieval village (DMV) is a former settlement which was abandoned during the Middle Ages, typically leaving no trace apart from earthworks or cropmarks. If there are fewer than three inhabited houses the conve ...

site and former

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

, now in the parish of Little Snoring, in the

North Norfolk North Norfolk is a Non-metropolitan district, local government district in Norfolk, England. Its council is based in Cromer, and the largest town is North Walsham. The district also includes the towns of Fakenham, Holt, Norfolk, Holt, Shering ...

district, in the county of

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

, England. It lies south-east of Little Snoring, around north-east of the town

Fakenham Fakenham is a market town and civil parish in Norfolk, England. It is situated on the River Wensum, about north-west of Norwich. The town is at the junction of several local roads, including the A148 from King's Lynn to Cromer, the A1067 to N ...

and north-west of

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...

to the north of the

A148 road This is a list of A roads in zone 1 in Great Britain beginning north of the River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. ...

.''OS Explorer Map 24 - Norfolk Coast Central''. . The village, which is one of around 200 lost settlements in Norfolk, was abandoned in the 16th century, probably as the consequence of the land being enclosed by the landlord of that time. It is occasionally referred to as Althorp in historical literature. In 1931 the parish had a population of 1.

History

The name 'Alethorpe' means 'Ali's outlying farm/settlement'. The village of Alethorpe is mentioned in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

.The Domesday Book, England's Heritage, Then and Now, (Editor: Thomas Hinde), Norfolk, page 186, Alethorpe, In the survey Alethorpe is recorded by the name of ''Alatorp'' and was a small settlement with a taxable value of 0.6 geld.Alethorpe
Open Domesday. Retrieved 2016-11-06. The land was held by

King William King William may refer to: People Bimbia * William I of Bimbia * William II of Bimbia () Britain and Ireland * William of England (disambiguation), multiple kings * William I, King of Scots (–1214), also known as William the Lion German Empir ...

. A late Saxon disc brooch was discovered on the site in 1985. Alethorpe was also recorded in the

Nomina Villarum ''Nomina Villarum'' was a survey carried out in 1316 and contains a list of all cities, boroughs and townships in England and the Lords of them. The document was compiled for King Edward II. The survey was a feudal aid, a payment which by traditi ...

surveys.Alethorpe deserted medieval village
Norfolk Heritage Explorer. Retrieved 2016-11-06.Blake W, 'Norfolk Manorial Lords in 1316', Norfolk Archaeology, volume 30, 1952: 277 & 8. In the surveys Alethorpe is recorded as being a village of thirty houses in 1272, twelve taxpayers 1329, eleven in 1332, and twelve in 1377. It was recorded that there were ten heads of families in 1496. The village was abandoned by the early 17th century, probably due to land enclosure; there is a 1604 petition by the last inhabitants to Sir Nicholas Bacon of Stiffkey, Justice of the Peace, against this.'The Papers of Nathaniel Bacon of Stiffkey Vol 5' pub.2010: 112 & 3. The parish church, which was dedicated to All Saints, which was in use in 1552, was being used as a barn by 1602 and was in poor repair by that date.Batcock N (1991) The Ruined and Disused Churches of Norfolk, ''East Anglian Archaeology'' vol. 51, p.182.
Available online
.Parish summary: Little Snoring
Norfolk Heritage Explorer. Retrieved 2016-11-06.Site of All Saints' Church, Alethorpe
Norfolk Heritage Explorer. Retrieved 2016-11-06. Three skeletons were unearthed in 1962 in what is assumed to be the churchyard. By the middle of the 19th century, Alethorpe was classified as an extra-parochial area in the Gallow Hundred,''History, Gazetteer & Directory of Norfolk, 1854'', Francis White, p.690.
Available online
Retrieved 2016-11-08. from 1858 Alethorpe was a civil parish in its own right, although united with Fakenham for religious purposes.Kelly E R (ed) (1869) ''The Post Office Directory of Cambridge, Norfolk and Suffolk (Part Two)'', p.204.
Available online
Retrieved 2016-11-08). until it was abolished on 1 April 1935 and merged with Little Snoring.''Kelly's Directory of Norfolk, 1896'', p.25
Available online
Retrieved 2016-11-08). The parish covered around and was farmland. In 1869 the parish consisted of just one farm with a population of four. By 1891 it had a population of nine and in 1911 this had fallen again to five.''Kelly's Directory of Norfolk, 1912'', p.28.
Available online
Retrieved 2016-11-08).

Modern Alethorpe

Alethorpe Hall, which is a modern building, stands on the site of the deserted village. A tree stands on the site of the church. A few low and generally indistinct earthworks remain along with possible track ways and a house platform, whilst a flint built barn at the hall dates from 1677. A small row of cottages, named Alethorpe Cottages, lie along the

to the south-east of the deserted village site.

References

External links

* * {{OpenDomesday, TF9431, alethorpe, Alethorpe Deserted medieval villages in Norfolk Archaeological sites in Norfolk Former civil parishes in Norfolk North Norfolk