Onley (lost settlement)
Encyclopedia
The lost village of Onley is located within the parish of Barby
in the English
county of Northamptonshire
. The site is bordered on the north by the M45 motorway
. On the east are Onley
and Rye Hill
prisons, and on the south-west is the A45 road
. The Oxford Canal
and the disused trackbed of the Great Central Railway
run close to the eastern boundary.
in taxation records before this date. In 1272 the village was recorded as being in the possession of George de Cantelupe
along with the manor of Barby. The entry records that ‘Virgate
s in villeinage are valued at 9 shilling per annum’. Records in 1345 make reference to ‘Tenements in Onle’, which may imply that at that time the village was still viable. There is no further record of Onley until the early part of the 18th century when the village was described as only a hamlet
of seven shepherds' houses, which implies that the site had become pasture land for sheep. Records of 1841 show that 19 people lived on the site of Onley in five scattered farms which still exist on the land to this day.
of today lie either side of a stream
that runs from south to west across the site with the north-eastern end of the stream now in a culvert
. The whole area of the village site covers 28 hectare
s with much of the earthworks well preserved. There is some difficulty in interpreting some of the earthworks due to the site being over plough
ed in narrow ridge and furrow
which has smoothed and flattened some of the earthworks of the village. The features of this site combine to make Onley lost village one of the most important sites of this kind in the country, despite the lack of documentation.
Barby, Northamptonshire
Barby is a village and civil parish in the Daventry district of Northamptonshire, England. the parish had a population of 2,083.-Location:Barby is located approximately 5 miles south of Rugby, and about 7 miles north of Daventry. The village is located upon a hill overlooking the Rains Brook and...
in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
. The site is bordered on the north by the M45 motorway
M45 motorway
The M45 is a motorway in Northamptonshire and Warwickshire, England and is long. It runs from Junction 17 of the M1 motorway south east of Rugby and ends with a junction with the A45 road southwest of Rugby...
. On the east are Onley
Onley (HM Prison)
HM Prison Onley is a Category C men's prison, operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service. The prison is named after the lost village of Onley which is located next to the prison....
and Rye Hill
Rye Hill (HM Prison)
HM Prison Rye Hill is a Category B men's private prison, operated by G4S. The prison is situated next to HMP Onley.Rye Hill Prison is located in the county of Northamptonshire close to its border with Warwickshire in England. The prison lies in the parish of Barby in Northamptonshire...
prisons, and on the south-west is the A45 road
A45 road
The A45 is a major road in England. It runs east from Birmingham past the National Exhibition Centre and the M42, then bypasses Coventry and Rugby, where it briefly merges with the M45 until it continues to Daventry...
. The Oxford Canal
Oxford Canal
The Oxford Canal is a narrow canal in central England linking Oxford with Coventry via Banbury and Rugby. It connects with the River Thames at Oxford, to the Grand Union Canal at the villages of Braunston and Napton-on-the-Hill, and to the Coventry Canal at Hawkesbury Junction in Bedworth just...
and the disused trackbed of the Great Central Railway
Great Central Railway
The Great Central Railway was a railway company in England which came into being when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension . On 1 January 1923, it was grouped into the London and North Eastern...
run close to the eastern boundary.
History
The village of Onley has no mention in any records yet discovered until 1272 and was presumed to be included under entries for BarbyBarby, Northamptonshire
Barby is a village and civil parish in the Daventry district of Northamptonshire, England. the parish had a population of 2,083.-Location:Barby is located approximately 5 miles south of Rugby, and about 7 miles north of Daventry. The village is located upon a hill overlooking the Rains Brook and...
in taxation records before this date. In 1272 the village was recorded as being in the possession of George de Cantelupe
George de Cantelou
George de Cantilupe was Lord of Abergavenny from the Marches of South Wales under Edward I of England. He was born on the 29 March 1252 at Abergavenny Castle in Monmouthshire, the son of William III de Cantilupe...
along with the manor of Barby. The entry records that ‘Virgate
Virgate
The virgate or yardland was a unit of land area measurement used in medieval England, typically outside the Danelaw, and was held to be the amount of land that a team of two oxen could plough in a single annual season. It was equivalent to a quarter of a hide, so was nominally thirty acres...
s in villeinage are valued at 9 shilling per annum’. Records in 1345 make reference to ‘Tenements in Onle’, which may imply that at that time the village was still viable. There is no further record of Onley until the early part of the 18th century when the village was described as only a hamlet
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
of seven shepherds' houses, which implies that the site had become pasture land for sheep. Records of 1841 show that 19 people lived on the site of Onley in five scattered farms which still exist on the land to this day.
Remains today
The earthwork remainsEarthworks (archaeology)
In archaeology, earthwork is a general term to describe artificial changes in land level. Earthworks are often known colloquially as 'lumps and bumps'. Earthworks can themselves be archaeological features or they can show features beneath the surface...
of today lie either side of a stream
Stream
A stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...
that runs from south to west across the site with the north-eastern end of the stream now in a culvert
Culvert
A culvert is a device used to channel water. It may be used to allow water to pass underneath a road, railway, or embankment. Culverts can be made of many different materials; steel, polyvinyl chloride and concrete are the most common...
. The whole area of the village site covers 28 hectare
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
s with much of the earthworks well preserved. There is some difficulty in interpreting some of the earthworks due to the site being over plough
Plough
The plough or plow is a tool used in farming for initial cultivation of soil in preparation for sowing seed or planting. It has been a basic instrument for most of recorded history, and represents one of the major advances in agriculture...
ed in narrow ridge and furrow
Ridge and furrow
Ridge and furrow is an archaeological pattern of ridges and troughs created by a system of ploughing used in Europe during the Middle Ages. The earliest examples date to the immediate post-Roman period and the system was used until the 17th century in some areas. Ridge and furrow topography is...
which has smoothed and flattened some of the earthworks of the village. The features of this site combine to make Onley lost village one of the most important sites of this kind in the country, despite the lack of documentation.