West Backworth village

It seems that there were certainly two Backworths in 1189 when Richard I confirmed Tynemouth Priory in possession of their lands, and there is explicit mention of both East and West Backworth in 1306. The lay subsidy roll of 1296 records 4 taxpayers here. The village still existed in 1353, but was deserted by the 16th century, not appearing in the Dissolution survey. Wrathmell suggests that it lost its identity in the priory's reorganization of their estates in the 15th century. Aerial photographs seem to show a row of crofts along each side of an east-west street, but this is not clear on the ground where there is prominent but disturbed ridge and furrow, and no trace of a two-row village plan. SCHEDULED ANCIENT MONUMENT