Book excerpt: The Origins of Louth offers a new and detailed look at the early history and evolution of Louth and its surrounding villages, based on the latest historical and archaeological research. It begins with the first human inhabitants of this region, who lived 400,000 years ago on the Wolds, and it ends around the time of Domesday Book, when Louth had developed into a true town and the whole region had begun to take on a recognizable form. It examines questions such as who were the first human inhabitants of the Louth region? When and how did people first begin to permanently settle in this region? And how did Louth develop into a significant local settlement and eventually a town? A full gazetteer of all archaeological finds made within 10 kilometres of Louth, from Fulstow to Tathwell and Donington to Manby, is provided as an appendix.