Alton, Leicestershire

Alton is a deserted medieval village between Coalville and Ashby-de-la-Zouch, in North West Leicestershire, England.

The earliest documentation of the village is found in the Domesday Book where it appears as Heletone.[1] The land was rented out to someone by Hugh de Grandmesnil, and had a total value of 60 shillings. There were 25 villagers, 1 being a man at arms and 4 smallholders. There were 8 ploughs, 1 mill, 4 acres of meadow, woodland 1 league long. The name is probably derived from ald, and the suffix tūn, meaning "old settlement".[2]

It is one of only four villages in Leicestershire that seems to have been deserted as a result of grange formation, the others being Dishley, Ringlethorp and Weston.[3] The most important possessor of granges in Leicestershire was the Cistercian Garendon Abbey whose economy was largely based on sheep farming.

Nothing remains of the village other than a few vague topographical features.[4]

  1. ^ G. Martin & A. Williams (2003) Domesday Book: A Complete Translation, Penguin Books Ltd., United Kingdom. ISBN 0-14-143994-7
  2. ^ Watts, Victor et al., (2004) The Cambridge Dictionary of Place Names, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. ISBN 0-521-36209-1
  3. ^ "The Monastic Granges of Leicestershire" (PDF). University of Leicester. Retrieved 7 August 2010.
  4. ^ "Provisional List of Deserted Medieval Villages in Leicestershire" (PDF). University of Leicester. Retrieved 9 August 2010.