The deserted Cambridgeshire village that people didn’t know existed for years

The introduction of a royal forest forced villagers to leave their homes

Cambridgeshire is a county that has a fascinating history, but some of it has been lost over years gone by. Much of the county’s history is well-known, such as places where the Romans settled or Cambridge’s prominent university history.

However, there is some history that has become forgotten over time and lost. There is one village known as Houghton that people didn’t know existed for years.

The lost Anglo-Saxon village was hidden beneath ground for around 900 years. Although there is a Houghton that exists today between Wyton and St Ives, this Houghton was located less than half a mile from Brampton.

No one knew it existed until 2018 when it was discovered by National Highways while work was taking place to build a new A14 route between Cambridge and Huntingdon.

Around 250 archaeologists unearthed the lost village, and discovered it was occupied between the 11th and 13th centuries. Through further research, people eventually found out the village was abandoned.

This was due to the expansion of a “royal forest” in the area. Royal forests were introduced by the Normans at the end of the Anglo-Saxon period.

They were designated large areas of England used as hunting grounds and could only exclusively be used by the monarchy. When Henry II ascended to the throne in 1154, the whole of Huntingdonshire was declared a royal forest.

When this was declared, villagers in Houghton were no longer allowed access to the local woodlands, which they relied on for food and fuel. Without the necessary means to survive, they were forced to leave.

With Brampton and Godmanchester being so close, it’s possible these villagers moved to these areas.