Nucleated village

A nucleated village is one of the main types of settlement pattern found in England and other parts of the world. It is one of the terms used by landscape historians to classify settlements.^[1] An idealised village, in which the houses cluster around a central church which is often close to the village green is a nucleated village. One example of a nucleated village is Shapwick in Somerset, which has been extensively investigated by Professor Mick Aston. A nucleated village contrasts with a dispersed settlement.

One particular sub-category of nucleated villages is a planned village. These were deliberately established by land owners at various times, but particularly during the late medieval period. They often consist of two rows of houses set on equal sized plots of land - burgage plots. At the opposite end of the burgage plot there is often a back lane which gives the original village a regular layout which can still be seen today. Planned villages were usually associated with markets, from which the landowner expected to make profits.

In some cases two adjacent nucleated villages may expand and merge to form a polyfocal settlement. This settlement category was identified and studied by Christopher Taylor.

Many nucleated villages originated in the Saxon period, but W. G. Hoskins discredits a previously held view that uniquely associated nucleated villages with the Saxons.^[2]

In England, nucleated settlements are often found in the central region where open field farming predominated.^[3] In this region, the village was typically surrounded by two (or three) large fields in which villagers had individual strips - see open field system. Various explanations have been offered as to the reason for this form of settlement including the ethnic origin of the Anglo-Saxon settlers, density of population and the influence of local lords of the manor. Dr Tom Williamson of the University of East Anglia has argued that the best explanation is the combination of soil quality and climate which leads to differences in agricultural techniques for exploiting local conditions^[4].

In central Europe, nucleated villages emerged as smaller settlements and farmsteads grew together with growing population. These villages generally have an irregular shape but are roughly circular around a central place and/or church.

Notes

1. ^ Muir, Richard. The NEW Reading the Landscape. University of Exeter Press. 
2. ^ Hoskins, WG. The Making of the English Landscape. 
3. ^ Roberts; Rathmell. An Atlas of Rural Settlement in England. English Heritage. 
4. ^ Williamson, Tom (2004). Shaping Medieval Landscapes. Windgather Press.