Dorset's Lost Villages and What They Have in Common

[@RalphEllis]

Jack Hargreaves did a documentary on these villages in the 1970s. He dismissed the “plague villages” idea. He said that the valley floor was all forested, and you could not live there. So people lived on the chalk hills, which only had scrubby trees. But when the forested valleys were cleared, the farmland was much better down there. So entire villages moved down to the valley floor, leaving abandoned villages above. Ralph

[@andrewreynolds4949]

Specifically he dismissed the idea that the plague killed all those villages entirely. The new labor shortage then drew the survivors off the chalk plains to the richer lands the Saxons had cleared.

[@dansheppard2965]

@@andrewreynolds4949 If anyone's interested, here's Jack's film: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aKXHq3-mn7KXfMU

[@OkenWS]

This is interesting, having come to this video a year later so sorry for the necro. I have for a while been questioning why people live in waterlogged, difficult to maintain places like the Piddle Valley so tenaciously despite everything. Maintaining their way of life in that location requires a disproportionate amount of resources. But it's got that, as I say, tenacity of a settlement of humans - that it is their homes, and they would rather call on all the great technologies we have today than move. This wasn't the case for villagers of the past, especially when settlements were smaller and less physically embedded by their infrastructure.

[@dellingson4833]

@@OkenWS It's the goofy land owner ship issues in England.

[@mistywolf312]

I think the initial black death theories are correct for some of the villages, however the rest may well have been economic, the main things you keep on chalk are sheep, a drop in the prices of wool will have hit everyone in the area hard, without income the farmers don't spend money in subsidiary industries like the blacksmiths etc. Your culprit for the later abandonment here could be one industry villages. The medieval wool industry was in decline in the 16th century, the wool towns barely survived, the hamlets and villages on the chalk likely did not.

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

There was also soil exhaustion. Population decline is noted to have started around the start of the 14th Century. Many of the deserted medieval villages still had a population fircat least a century after the end of the Black Death.

[@RalphEllis]

Jack Hargreaves did a documentary on these villages in the 1970s. He dismissed the “plague villages” idea. He said that the valley floor was all forested, and you could not live there. So people lived on the chalk hills, which only had scrubby trees. But when the forested valleys were cleared, the farmland was much better down there. So entire villages moved down to the valley floor, leaving abandoned villages above. Jack Hargreaves is on video. Ralph

[@DropdudeJohn]

@@RalphEllis I was just about to mention the great Jack Hargreaves, the world needs TV presenters and programmes in the style he presented

[@philipwells2793]

I would suspect that sheep were a significant driver of demographic change on the downs. The black death affected all villages in a similar manner of course some were worse hit than others, but overall extinction of lowland and upland villages should be about the same. Jack Hargreaves mentioned by others put forward the expansion of lowland agriculture by taming the lowland swampy areas being ideal for dairy farming as a driver. That might of been an attractor but I suspect many of the early abandonment's were from the landlord pushing people off their land to make way for sheep retaining only small numbers of shepherds. So a mix of improved lowland agriculture and sheep is my hypothesis for early abandonments.

[@Shaun.Stephens]

@@philipwells2793 As I watched this I thought that it was likely 'landlords' took over larger scale farming and pushed the subsistence farmers off the land. Part of what made me think of this is that the larger manor houses seemed to have lasted there a lot longer.

[@bostonrailfan2427]

that video by Jack showed up in my feed months ago because of watching your videos! this is a perfect companion to Jack’s video and something i’m sure he’d approve of as i believe he’d utilize the same things that you used from sources to technology if he had them 40 years ago

[@pwhitewick]

Ah thanks. I hope he would approve.

[@Wisey-Walks]

Great video thanks Paul & Rebecca. I'm walking the roman road from Dorchester to Badbury Rings to Old Sarum in 10-15 mile chunks, havent done Knowlton area yet but very looking forward to it. Lots of stuff from yoyr videos to watch out for as i do.

[@Seat1AJoe]

Paul, this show is magnificent. Really, really magnificent.

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks Joseph.

[@goodhealthgoodtimes]

I love the passion if not obsession with the historic area. I feel the same way. I love the feeling of connection to this long period of time.

[@andyhill242]

I can see why you enjoyed making this video, all the research, and on-the-ground exploring seem fascinating.

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks Andy. A real treat and a pleasure to make.

[@elizabetheakman]

And no digging !!!

[@paulrudd1063]

This is the best history/archeological documentary I’ve seen since the old time team. (Before they tried to sexy time team up and ruined it). You’ve done a brilliant job on this video. It’s superb quality and obvious you put a huge amount of time into it.

[@stewartshackleton7825]

The more I watch these excellent videos, the more I am convinced we live is a beautiful country. Thank you.

[@djhrecordhound4391]

I appreciate ALL of the efforts you put into each of your presentations! Between travel, hiking miles on end, research, shooting, editing, plus any perils along the way, the quality shines every time.

[@invokalink162]

That little chapel with the ruins adjacent and earth works behind, is one of the most fascinating locations i've ever seen. Just WOW. Keep up the great work guys. Brilliant channel.

[@ValeriePallaoro]

This had me 'wow!' 'wow!' 'wow!' at every twist and turn. Much appreciated, on a few points. Opening up my eyes to one thing I find peculiar - the years of populace in England should have towns/villages all over the place and yet there are none. So you've solved that for me. The lovely appreciation of architecture over time - well worth the video watch alone. And the ohmygiddyaunt sneaky watching out for Rebecca in the back ground, whether it be by her shadow - filming, her wave in the window, her filming of you in the distance? Lovely editing, really lovely stuff. More of this wow, wow, wow, if you please Paul, just the way I like it!!

[@LamboPhoto]

From someone who has recently published a YT video on this very topic, I really do appreciate the effort you've put into this. Certainly more informative than my offering. Well done! I arrived at a similar conclusion, yes, the Black Death was responsible for many lost villages, but not all disappeared at the same time directly due to the pandemic. Some took many more years to disappear. Another major factor was the collapse of the Feudal system as the result of the Black Death. Land Owners lost their serfs (peasants), and had no one to work their land. Large settlements dwindled as a result, as the serfs moved to more urban settlements. Hence, several villages disappeared more slowly over the following 2 centuries. Many thanks for taking the time and effort to create and share, thoroughly enjoyable 👍

[@tarvisbickler3787]

Good Morning from Kansas!

[@janhenkins]

Thank you for doing this video. I've watched all the Jack Hargreaves videos I could find, and his theories about the black death certainly looks like a good working hypothesis. I did feel that it was a bit too clear-cut, too "comfortable" as the "smoking gun" behind the lost villages, but not being a historian meant to me that I would probably never have to opportunity to suss this out. So, this video from you and Rebecca definitely points in the right direction from my perspective, and more importantly it raises fresh questions on what really happened. Cracking video, and I'm so glad to see that I'm not the only "Jack Hargreaves Groupie"! :-D

[@terencesaunders1357]

Great video this week, thank you. I like Dorset. Shall show it to my sister who lives in Weymouth

[@doccops]

Great stuff- the time and effort you put into these videos is much appreciated ;)

[@stephenchild2310]

I hope this is a new series along the lines of abandoned railways and canals. I can't visit the places that you feature (yet) so your videos are the next best thing. Please keep em coming!

[@JosephSchmidtfan]

My ancestors came from Tyneham, a village lost within living memory, but for very different reasons.

[@pwhitewick]

Yup that appeared in our searches many times!

[@ColinH1973]

Excellent work, Paul. You would love the deserted village of Wharram Percy, complete with ruined church, duckpond, and abandoned railway line. It's in the Yorkshire Wolds.

[@pwhitewick]

Sounds idilic.

[@AnthonyIlstonJones]

Another area of chalklands?

[@ColinH1973]

@@AnthonyIlstonJones limestone, I think, but I could be wrong.

[@AnthonyIlstonJones]

@@ColinH1973 Chalk IS a type of oolitic limestone, and I'm pretty sure much of the eastern half of Yorkshire is on the chalk. It forms a swathe down the eastern side of the country before turning west across what was Wessex back in the day. Not looked at a geological map in a while though..... 🙂

[@bobemmerson1580]

I live in Dorset. My village church is surrounded by empty fields, and sits about a mile from the current village centre. The old village was abandoned during the plague, and the survivors resettled on the hill above the old village.

[@pwhitewick]

Oooh what village Bob?

[@bobemmerson1580]

@@pwhitewick Lytchett Matravers, the old church is St. Mary's

[@leroyholm9075]

Great video Paul, Dorset is indeed a gem!

[@saltybuster946]

Thanks for picking up where Jack left off, great fun

[@KayAteChef]

I have been watching Jack's old show so your show came up in my feed... finally the algorithm serves me :D

[@Hairnicks]

Wow, superb presentation Paul, I really enjoyed that, the whole tale was fascinating. The reason I love your stuff is because it's not a detailed documentary, just a bloke with an interest, going for a walk and taking us along. Great stuff.

[@Dolan-81]

Outstanding Paul 👏🏻 Beyond TV worthy. I’ve shot Knowlton in just about every type of light, every weather, under stars and milky way - in the snow and spent many hours there alone. This video really brought those memories back and was so well put together. Excellent stuff my friend 👍🏻👍🏻

[@SBCBears]

Interesting bit of history. I suppose we know well how they looked because so many others survived. Thanks for the Hargreaves link.

[@pwhitewick]

It's a beautiful video

[@tommorgan950]

Love your videos. Great to be able to see all these wonderful and historic places of old England.

[@chrisb012]

Every video is so informative, and you keep finding new things for me to say, “Wow, I never thought of / knew that”. Beautifully put together. Thank you for doing this, keeps me going during my post-op recovery!

[@johncole3866]

My neck of the woods. I live not far from Hanford. I also see you have Milton Abbas on your list which was raised after the land owner decided he didn't want the village within the boundary of the house when Capability Brown was designing the gardens.

[@trek520rider2]

Yet another reason for disappearing villages, snooty landlords.

[@NikoleiBellic]

You're such a talented narrator Paul. Thank you

[@ajay-xjs]

Excellent episode and a great modern addition to Jack's, your camera work is fabulous, stunning scenery. I spent a lot of time in Dorset before moving to Canada a few years ago and this brings back great memories as do most of your episodes. Great channel.

[@zakamoriarty]

A friend of mine mentioned plague villages of Dorset just a few weeks ago so the timing of this is interesting! I have lived in Dorset on and off for over 30 years. I’ve always thought Whitcombe just outside Dorchester must of been abandoned as only the Church remains…

[@curlybrownliz]

We visited the church (courtesy of Geocaching) and found the whole area fascinating

[@IanDDalton]

Great video as usual Paul, you should take a trip to Imber Village in Wiltshire, that was abandoned during WW2 to practise for the D-Day landings. Its in the middle of Salisbury Plain Military training area, but you can catch a double decker bus from Warminster, on bank holiday weekends :)

[@pwhitewick]

We did go a few years ago actually. But didn't take the camera. One day soon.

[@HeinrichDixon]

Not so much "abandoned" as 'cleared', IDD: The military evicted everyone from the village a week before Christmas 1943. 🍌🙂

[@hairyairey]

The bus services are just one Saturday a year. And it's organised by enthusiasts such as Sir Peter Hendy. What I'd really like is to get a Routemaster to and from a parkrun on the day!

[@leroyholm9075]

Dear Paul & Rebecca. As I said in my comments on the Portland Video, we have spent several years researching the area, this is great stuff and certainly adds to the brilliant programme produced by Jack Hargreaves (still available on you tube). Dorset is packed with content. I will look through some of my stuff and send some additional Infor. Many Thanks.

[@owlhead7594]

Very enjoyable. Love the history. you and Rebecca do a great job.i am here in nh usa. Cannot wait for the next episode. Keep up the great work 👍

[@simonf8370]

Wow, some great scenery. And bit of a jaw drop when you say why...

[@nigelhudson1948]

Exactly the same village abandonment happened on the South Downs in Sussex. It's also the same chalk geology. When the Black Death impacted in the 14th century it meant that many villages in the lowlands were also abandoned or severely depleted. Possibly the upland villages were abandonded because the survivors were able to occupy the the spare lowland where the ground is better irrigated and more fertile?

[@pwhitewick]

I was there today actually and did wonder.

[@thamesmud]

It's a lot easier to farm when the soil is more then 2 inches deep! The problem with the fertile lowland was the trees which had to wait for better organised land owners.

[@hypsyzygy506]

@@thamesmud Better ploughs too.

[@andrewreynolds4949]

That’s about what Jack Hargreaves claimed in his documentary from 1984

[@christophernewman5027]

Cracking, as always. Cheers, m'dear! 😊

[@MrGreatplum]

A fantastic mini documentary! Excellently researched and presented. My theory is that the Black Death hastened the demise of these villages but there were a number of waves of the plague in the 14th and 15th century. Chalk is not great for arable farming and it could be that the surviving villagers moved to the valleys. I think others have commented about the fall in the value of wool as well would have contributed to the villages declining

[@malcolmrichardson3881]

Splendid tour and interesting reinterpretation of abandoned settlements now sitting in splendid isolation. Theories can provide a useful guide, but as I think, you correctly point out, each site requires separate investigation to account for patterns of human settlement/resettlement over historical time. Much to reflect on here. Thank you.

[@GeorgeGeorgeOnly]

I'm pretty certain that I've visited Knowlton. You guys do a fantastic job. Love your work!

[@GeorgeGeorgeOnly]

I noticed the hand waving figure in the chappel window🖐☺ I claim my prize😆

[@GeorgeGeorgeOnly]

I am blessed! Thank you so much, Paul & Rebecca, for your Like.🙏 You Guys are awesome!

[@johnledingham852]

A most fascinating visit to the Dorset of the past. Pestilence in the cloak of the black plague wiped out entire villages. Families, livestock, and the like, but the stone constructions stood their ground. What a testament to those earlier times. The human race is resilient and shall never succumb in total to unforeseen anomalies that are hurled at us out of the blue. I know our future is secure. Thanks Paul!

[@ForTheBirbs]

Thanks Paul for a really fantastic video!

[@christopherthompson2078]

Excellent video again. Imagine living through the great famine and the a big whammy the plague. Enough to make everyone run away x

[@douglasfleetney5031]

Very good Paul, here in Kent we have a few Plague Villages (Stelling and Dode spring to mind), however it was the law that any new Village was to be established 1 Statutory Mile from the old location. I recently watch the Jack Hargreaves program (Out of Town/Old Country??) which dealt with this very subject. He came to the conclusion that only a handful were reliably attributed to the Black Death and the rest to the end of the Feudal System, The Enclosure Act and the very start of the Industrial Revolution. That all said I really enjoyed your film (as ever) and your insights into the Church Architecture. More please, I love the railways, canals and old roads but this is as good. Thank you for making and posting.

[@dpstrial]

Watched a few of Jack Hargreaves' old programmes recently, including the one on the disappearance of the Dorset villages. He was the ultimate presenter of countryside matters. Countryfile does not come close to Old Country or Out of Town.

[@trek520rider2]

Hadn't thought about the Enclosures and their effect on the landscape (and society). Well worth P & R looking into.

[@alexcharlesworth7580]

All in my local area and lovely photography. Lucky to live in this part of the world. Lyscombe is particularly special. Really pleased to see it's been rethatched as it was looking a bit sad this time last year.

[@gjclark2478]

Some of knowlton church resembles the castle ruins at ludgershall , which as the crow flies is not a million miles away. Also, I worked at a farm in Durrington which had the earthworks of the original village of durrington which was abandoned during the plague. Cheers Paul, subbed on your quality content that puts some historical tv to shame 👍

[@pwhitewick]

Thank you. Only really been to the castle once, despite living in Ludgershall for a decade!!

[@cbooth2004]

Lovely and fascinating video. Thank you.

[@simonbradshaw3708]

Another interesting story and some wonderful pictures of the area of Dorset. Thank you for sharing it with us.

[@Sim0nTrains]

Local leaf blowing society, that blew my mind! Nice interesting video and some lovely old churches.

[@HenrysAdventures]

Interesting video as always. Looks like you had some lovely walks to visit those churches.

[@shirleylynch7529]

So interesting. What a research you have done. Also you must have walked for miles. Thank you for showing us your explore. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

[@fraggit]

You dare challenge Jack 😮Of course all other theories are welcome, especially when so well presented. I look forward to the next.

[@davie941]

a really cool interesting video again paul and rebecca , well done and thank you again guys 😊

[@a11csc]

wow thats some awesome research paul

[@kathyinwonderlandl.a.8934]

I cannot believe you are able to just travail over hills and dales ancient land and you don’t run into anyone else it’s my dream I’d love to do that..ah a leaf blower! It’s still magnificent Thankyou so much.

[@sergeant5848]

Fantastic. Beautiful. Speechless.

[@havingalook2]

Fascinating. Totally what I am interested in. Thank you. Nice to see such a beautiful sunny day. Cheers

[@gaugeonesteam]

Great stuff Paul & Rebecca. I told you Dorset has lots of mysteries. Sometimes I just like to walk in the county and not investigate anything but just wonder and imagine the mysteries of how people lived hundreds of years ago. Sometimes I reckon less is more with this stuff.

[@bigjaffa02]

Paul: "I've been looking at abandoned villages" Rebecca: "in Dorset?" Paul: "yes, I'd recommend it to anybody"

[@donaldknowlton3179]

It is really nice to see history related to my name, although my ancestors probably hailed from Kent. I really do want to visit Knowlton Church.

[@oneteaminbristolbcfc]

Thanks Paul really enjoyed this and your efforts are very much appreciated

[@LordoftheBadgers]

Maybe someone else has said - but there's at least one time team on an abandoned village where all the theories are discussed. Speaking of which - I wish you had been their new presenter on the online episodes! Love your style mate. It's perfect.

[@janecapon2337]

Really great video. I liked the way you used aerial shots, maps and google earth along with your hiking commentary. Great editing too

[@carolynbagnell5074]

Absolutely fascinating i lived near Dorchester

[@andymiller4971]

Very informative,amazing how the plague altered the countryside,explains why some old buildings are situated as they are ,not so random as one imagines.

[@NickLewis]

Brilliant video. I knew of Knowlton (great to see my drone work there) but I didn't know of the other villages. The plague hit that area particularly hard!

[@fighne]

I love walking those sunken ways, great video.

[@nickauclair1477]

Always great videos.

[@philiptownsend4026]

Absolutely fascinating. Dorset is a fantastic county. Please do more like this. Perhaps hill forts on the South Downs? One of my grandmother's, Gladys Abrahams was born in Melcombe Regis, I tried to find out a bit of her background but her family seemed to appear there from unknown location and undocumented. Maybe I have old ancestry in those abandoned villages? Or perhaps her family arrived from a Baltic state fleeing Russian pogroms (family name)? I suppose i shall never know.

[@martinturner9296]

a brilliant informative video as always of my favourite county. thank you so much 👍👍

[@peterjohncooper]

Excellent as always. I like the way your research always involves a pair of muddy boots and a rucksack. I think your conclusion is probably right. I can think of a number of deserted villages that are not on the chalk and have very different stories to tell. I think there is also a connection to the dissolution of the monastries that held so much Dorset land. One tiny thing. The outline map you used included the areas of Hampshire that were taken over by Dorset in 1974. Keep up the good work.

[@johnbollen1322]

This was a really very interesting video, you can learn so much from Landscape Archaeology, your research on this subject has certainly paid off. Look out for Roman or Medieval Monastic lumps and bumps. If you watched Time Team, you might notice that its always Stewart Ainsworth, the Landscape expert who saves the day!

[@xeinsgaming]

its interesting. over here in sussex there were 100s of villages scattered around what is now the West Dean Estate. The last remains of these are a hamlet of 3 houses called Hooksway, and a house & cottage in an area marked as Monkton, of which a chapel still remains. All this area was wiped out by the plague as well. A lot of the ancient tracks are still used by logging vehicles.

[@rudyardkipling5175]

I love your videos. Thank you for all the work you do. One note: A church and a chapel were different. That is, the old chapel near the farm may have been a “chapel of ease”, where the priest would hold a mass on Sundays although his church was elsewhere, to allow far-flung parishioners to attend services without making a long trek from their homes. Chapels of ease usually lacked a tower and bells and were much simpler in design and decoration.

[@ADJ_83]

amazing 👏 More of these please!! DMVs are fascinating

[@JohnDoe-px4ko]

Very professional and informative. Thank you.

[@dianespears6057]

One of your best videos. Thank you.

[@eleanor663]

Really good and interesting video, with all the emphasis on the chalk I was half expecting the conclusion was going the be the loss of water throughout the year in these ‘higher’ villages as the overall water table has reduced over the years (as per what you mentioned with the Roman aquaduct video), the Black Death explanation was certainly a ‘right turn’ for me. You’ve certainly got me hooked on your videos….

[@georgebazyliszek8718]

Lovely....greting from Poland.😀

[@trevorpitchell39]

Good to hear you mention jack Hargreaves...as said by another his feed appeared on faceslap.. I'm sure there is a story behind every village...well done

[@kevinandreoli3176]

Beautiful videography Paul!

[@MattMesserPics]

Once again, you have given the exiled anglophile his weekly dose of great joy. I've started to love Monday mornings!

[@markstott6689]

I watched the Jack Hargreaves video a couple of months ago and it was an interesting viewpoint. On a completely different topic; when I read Pratchett's Tiffany Aching stories I always envisioned "The Chalk" looking like Dorset. It just fits.

[@bobthedog3780]

I believe Terry was bought up in the area, which is why he has such an affinity for it.

[@AdamMilford477]

The work and effort you put into these video's is amazing!! Thank you 👍

[@mikeleach4201]

Gifted teacher. Thank you.

[@pwhitewick]

Glad it was helpful!

[@tipthetube3219]

Fascinating!. Geology, best A level ever!!

[@jeffsuter344]

I have always been fascinated with Knowlton, a place of worship for over 4000 years, long before Christianity hit these shores. I remember Jack Hargreaves exploring historical West Country locations. Thanks for a fascinating overview.

[@AllMy78s]

Excellent vid on the lost villages, I had watched Jack Hargreaves on the subject not that long ago... Some interesting theories... 👍👍👍👍👍

[@rogermorris6957]

Interesting change from the railways Paul nice one

[@rhodsullivan7773]

Excellent video. At least unlike Treweryn there are remnants of these villages to explore. Keep up the good work both. .

[@jordesclark]

That was incredibly interesting Paul, thank you!

[@miketherefurbisher8000]

Most interesting Paul ! Sunday nights are a bit special since I stumbled across your channel. Thanks

[@pauldevey8628]

Great narative. Thank you

[@johnsparkes8963]

Fantastic and very interesting content Paul great research much have took a lot time and effort. Thank you for sharing.

[@martynbuzzing3327]

Who knew? So much mystery to unravel. Great vid thanks

[@SuperTonywilliams]

Great film Paul, thanks.

[@martinh4982]

Here's a synchronicity - just as you mentioned Jack Hargreaves I was opening an Amazon package containing the DVD boxset of Old Country with Jack Hargreaves! I think old Jack is smiling at you 😁

[@lilchris26]

Nice video Paul and interesting, hard work there too with all the research well done and thank you.