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Owlcotes is a deserted medieval village located in Yorkshire, England, comprising the earthwork remains of a settlement that was abandoned during the medieval period. The site preserves visible archaeological features including house platforms, field systems, and trackways that illustrate the layout and land use of a former rural community. The village represents an important example of the widespread depopulation phenomena that affected English villages from the later medieval period onwards, often driven by economic change and enclosure of land for pastoral farming. The earthworks, now scheduled as an ancient monument, provide valuable evidence for understanding medieval settlement patterns and the process of rural abandonment in northern England.
Owlcotes deserted medieval village is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1005779. View the official record →
Owlcotes is a deserted medieval village located in Yorkshire, England, comprising the earthwork remains of a settlement that was abandoned during the medieval period. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1005779.
Owlcotes deserted medieval village is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1005779.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Cup marked rock in Calverley Wood, 200m north east of junction of Calverley Cutting and Thornhill Drive (3.9 km), Gritstone pillar with three cup marks in the north pavement of the A65 at Horsforth, 440m south east of the roundabout at Low Fold (4 km), Cup and ring marked rock 40m south east of Hillcourt, Rawdon (5.1 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Owlcotes deserted medieval village's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Owlcotes deserted medieval village stands on Pennine Lower Coal Measures Formation And South Wales Lower Coal Measures Formation (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Westphalian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, coal, ironstone and ferricrete.