Ingarsby is one of the best preserved

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 ...

s in England. It is situated about to the east of

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

, and a little to the north of

Houghton on the Hill Houghton on the Hill is a village and civil parish lying to the east of Leicester in the Harborough district, in Leicestershire, East Midlands in England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 1,524. An entry for Hough ...

. The majority of the site, which is situated on a west facing slope and lies on both sides of the Houghton to

Hungarton Hungarton (or Hungerton) is a small village and civil parish in the Harborough District, Harborough district of Leicestershire, England, about north-east of Leicester and south-west of Melton Mowbray. The population of the civil parish was 26 ...

(where the remaining population is included) road, is now a

scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage, visu ...

. The settlement was probably founded by a Danish individual named ''Ingwar'', and as such was referred to as "Ingwar's village". This places its origins at some point in the 9th or 10th century. By Norman times, the settlement had grown to a substantial village for 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 ...

of 1086 reports 32 heads of households present. When the majority of the manor, at that time owned by the Daungervills, was granted to

Leicester Abbey The Abbey of Saint Mary de Pratis, more commonly known as Leicester Abbey, was an Augustinian religious house in the city of Leicester, in the East Midlands of England. The abbey was founded in the 12th century by the Robert de Beaumont, 2nd E ...

in 1352, a dozen families lived in the village. Desertion occurred in 1469 when the abbey enclosed the whole of the land and converted most of it to sheep and cattle pastures. It was by far the most valuable grange property in Leicestershire when it was sold at the Reformation in 1540. Across the fields to Ingarsby Hall - geograph

Across the fields to Ingarsby Hall - geograph

On the dissolution of

, the Cave family had a large share in the plunder for the impropriate Rectory of Hungerton and the Manor of Ingarsby which were granted to Sir Brian Cave,

Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire to the north, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire to the south-east, Warw ...

and his wife Margaret Throckmorton, daughter of Sir

George Throckmorton Sir George Throckmorton (c. 1480 – 6 August 1552) of Coughton Court in Warwickshire, England, was a Member of Parliament during the reign of King Henry VIII of England, Henry VIII. Origins Born before 1489 in Worcestershire, Throckmorton was ...

, by the Crown in 1540.Douglas Richardson, Kimball G. Everingham. ''Magna Carta ancestry: a study in colonial and medieval families''. pg 639. Ingarsby Old Hall, which was built by Brian Cave when he acquired the manor after the Dissolution, was originally moated on three sides. The oldest fabric dates to the 1540s in the east range. Another range was added by Sir Robert Bannister who bought the manor in 1621. All that remains now are well delineated rectangular mounds that mark the house-sites of the arable farmers that were driven out, and the hollow ways where the village streets and lanes once ran.

References

{{reflist Deserted medieval villages in Leicestershire Scheduled monuments in Leicestershire

See also

References