and 15th century with varied reasons for desertion, including economic viability, change in land use, population fluctuation or as a result of widespread epidemics such as the Black Death. (This particular epidemic accounted for the death of nearly 60% of the estimated population of the Deanery of Doncaster). As a consequence of their abandonment, many villages lay frequently undisturbed by later occupation and particularly small villages are not well represented in the archaeological record. The site here at Hellaby Hall is a rare example of such a village, which has been partially excavated and found to retain substantial remains relating to this class of listed site monument. Whilst surrounding settlements such as Maltby developed into a township, Hellaby remained a hamlet, entirely dependent on its one estate without either a church or a public house. Local entries noted that the original name of "Helgebi", which became Hellaby, had variations such as "helughby", and by 1379 the name along with its derivatives was spreading into neighbouring villages. In spite of this, by the time Parish Registers were introduced in 1538, the family name of Hellaby and all its variations had entirely died out. The last of the male line was William of Hellaby, described as a cattle dealer. The fact that he paid 12d, the maximum amount of tax due, indicated his wealth and standing in the community. It was his daughter, who as heiress to the estate married John Fretwell of Braithwell, in around 1530, during the time of Henry VIII and although the Hellaby family name ended, it survived as the name of the estate and the village. The daughter died around 1560 and the lands came into the Fretwell family. Although the Fretwell family owned the Hellaby Estate, they continued to live in the nearby village of Braithwell. The hearth tax returns of 1667 indicated that they occupied three houses in the locality. This included the vicarage at Stainton, the family home at Braithwell, which had four fireplaces and a dwelling at Hellaby with eight fireplaces. This was not the present Hall but an earlier building, probably of Tudor style and most likely built on the same site. The man responsible for the building of the Hellaby Hall was the Great, Great, Great grandson of John Fretwell, Ralph Fretwell who was baptised in Sheffield on 23 June 1631. Ralph Fretwell went to Barbados and started a sugar plantation.