Scheduled Monuments›England›West Tofts deserted village

West Tofts deserted village

England
List entry 1003946
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1003946
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
4.58 hectares
Grid reference
TL 83651 93000
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic England (NHLE)

Overview

History & significance

West Tofts is a deserted medieval village located in Norfolk, England, whose earthworks and archaeological remains document settlement patterns and land use in the medieval period. The site preserves visible features including house platforms, field systems, and trackways that provide evidence of the village's layout and agricultural organisation before its abandonment. The desertion of West Tofts, like many Norfolk villages, reflects the economic and social transformations of the late medieval period, including changes in land management and population movement. The surviving earthworks remain an important archaeological resource for understanding medieval rural settlement and landscape change in East Anglia.

West Tofts deserted village is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1003946. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is West Tofts deserted village?

West Tofts is a deserted medieval village located in Norfolk, England, whose earthworks and archaeological remains document settlement patterns and land use in the medieval period. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1003946.

Who is responsible for protecting West Tofts deserted village?

West Tofts deserted 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 1003946.

What other scheduled monuments are near West Tofts deserted village?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Bowl barrow 230m south west of Little Lodge Farm (6 km), Bowl barrow 380m south west of Santon House (6.2 km), The earthworks and buried remains of the western boundary banks of Thetford Warren, including linked trapping banks and enclosures, along with an associated warrener's house known as Reed Fen Lodge (6.8 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about West Tofts deserted village

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of West Tofts deserted village's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Bowl barrow 230m south west of Little Lodge Farm
6 km
Bowl barrow 380m south west of Santon House
6.2 km
The earthworks and buried remains of the western boundary banks of Thetford Warren, including linked trapping banks and enclosures, along with an associated warrener's house known as Reed Fen Lodge
6.8 km
Bowl barrow 580m north east of The Lodge, Brandon
7 km
Santon Downham Warren
7 km
Middle Saxon occupation on Chequer Meadow
8.5 km
An Iron Age religious site and associated enclosures on Gallows Hill, Thetford, immediately to the north of Fison Way industrial estate
8.5 km
Thetford Warren Lodge
8.9 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under West Tofts deserted village

West Tofts deserted village stands on White Chalk Subgroup, bedrock that formed in the Maastrichtian. The rock here is chalk.

The wider landscape

Around West Tofts deserted village

Grimes GravesArchaeological site · ~2.3 miles
Domesday entry for Tofts, Norfolk →
All Scheduled Monuments