Monument record 0100900000 - CRAFTON, WING

Possible village earthworks appear on AP & have been surveyed (B7).
Crafton or Crofton hamlet was described as consisting of 4 farms & c.12 cottages in 1862 (B2).
Map of 1825 shows hamlet spreading along road (B3).
NGR to earthworks centre (B7).
Watching brief carried out by Albion Archaeology in December 2004 during service trenching for new electricity cable across the northern part of the earthworks identified 4 post-medieval ditches - probably field boundaries, a pit and a wall foundation. A large area of colluvium 0.35m or 0.54m thick extended across a large part of the watching brief area. The only finds recovered were a single sherd of late medieval pottery (probably residual) and 6 fragments of animal bone from the colluvium layer, a single animal bone fragment from a ditch and an 18th or 19th century brick from the wall foundation trench. See report for detail (B9).
Negative watching brief (B10), evaluations (B11, B14) and excavation (B16).
Conservation Area designated 14th September 2005, includes much of DMV earthworks (B12).
Earthwork survey of part of earthworks carried out by AS&C in June 2006 identified hollow ways, platforms, an in-filled pond and quarrying. A subsequent watching brief in July 2006 during topsoil stripping for manege construction was negative (B13).
Scheduled in June 2013. See Scheduling documents for detail (B17).

The medieval deserted settlement of Crafton is visible on historic aerial photographs and remote sensing data as earthworks and was mapped as part of the Aylesbury Vale Aerial Investigation and Mapping project (EBC18604). Located at Crafton and centred at SP 89051 19458, the settlement earthworks extend across an area about 585 metres N-S and 480 metres W-E. The features comprise an network of interconnecting linear boundary ditches creating a series of adjoining rectilinear enclosures and platforms, representing the village buildings, crofts, tofts and trackways, along with at least five irregularly shaped ponds. There is a sinuous trackway, hollow way or lane up to 8 metres wide that runs NW-SE from Crafton Farm to Crafton Stud and doglegs through the settlement for about 500 metres. To the W of the hollow way are small blocks of ridge and furrow cultivation, with most of the settlement earthworks E of the hollow way. On aerial photographs taken in 2023 and recent remote sensing data, the earthworks remain visible.

Located in a field immediately S of Crafton Stud and centred at SP 89367 19047, an almost square ditch up to 3 metres wide encloses an internal area about 56 metres NW-SE and 54 metres SW-NE. Along the inside of the SW facing ditch is an earthwork bank up to 11 metres wide. On the outside ditch on the W facing corner is a linear earthwork bank up to 28 metres long and 9 metres wide, with rounded ends, encompassed by a boundary ditch up to two metres wide. Contiguous to this on the W side is a subrectangular earthwork platform about 24 x 15 metres at its widest points. It is possible that these earthwork features are associated with the medieval deserted settlement of Crafton centred some 550 metres to the NW. On aerial photographs taken in 2023 and recent remote sensing data, the earthworks remain visible (19-31).