Assembling leading experts on the subject, this account explores the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of thousands of villages and smaller settlements in England and Wales between 1340 and 1750. By revisiting the deserted villages, this breakthrough study addresses questions that have plagued archaeologists, geographers, and historians since the 1940s--including why they were deserted, why some villages survived while others were abandoned, and who was responsible for their desertion--offering a series of exciting insights into the fate of these fascinating sites.