Nucleated village
A nucleated village, or clustered settlement, is one of the main types of
A clustered settlement contrasts with these:
- dispersed settlement
- linear settlement
- polyfocal settlement: two (or more) adjacent nucleated villages that have expanded and merged to form a cohesive overall community
A sub-category of clustered settlement is a planned village or community, deliberately established by landowners or the stated and enforced planning policy of local authorities and central governments.
England
One of many examples of a nucleated village in England is Shapwick, Somerset.[a]
Many nucleated villages originated in
In England, nucleated settlements prevail for example in central parts of the country away from the rockiest soil and steepest slopes where open field farming predominated.
Planned settlements can be clearly distinguished from other communities in the late medieval period when landowners began to en masse allocate two rows of new houses set on equal-sized plots of land -
Central Europe
In central Europe, nucleated villages have also emerged from smaller settlements and many farmsteads (equivalent to many hamlets) grew in population to become larger settlements. These villages generally have an irregular shape but are roughly circularly grouped around a central place such as a church or a feature easy to defend.
See also
- Haufendorf, a type of enclosed village in Germany, Austria and Switzerland
Further reading
Notes and references
- Notes
- ^ This has been extensively investigated by Mick Aston
- ^ University of East Anglia
- References