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Lost village

Gainsthorpe

Near Hibaldstow, Lincolnshire

Humps and bumps in a field that were once a village.

Gainsthorpe was a medieval village that was abandoned, perhaps after the Black Death or when land was turned over to sheep. Its houses, yards and streets survive as earthworks, clearly visible from the air.

Read the full story, see it on the map, get directions and find what else is nearby in the free Hidden Britain Atlas map.

When
Deserted by 1600s
Where
53.5500, -0.5300
Group
Lost & drowned villages

Visiting

English Heritage, free, reached across a field.

Cover of The Ledger of Lost Britain by Cale Mills
Read the full story in the book

The Ledger of Lost Britain

The Romans arrived in AD 43. For most people that is where the history of Britain begins. But by the time the legions landed, people had already been living on these islands for thousands of years. They had hunted, farmed, mined flint, dragged stones across the country, raised a hill by hand, and buried their dead in great tombs. They left no written words. What they left was the ground itself. Every place in this book can be visited, or has been dug up, or is in a museum.

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