Building a castle within a pre-existing settlement could require demolishing properties on the site, and in the case of Warwick four houses were pulled down.

As of 1 January 1997, no further settled land can be created and the remaining pre-existing settlements have a declining importance in English law.

On occasions the river even changed its course after massive floods, sometimes dividing pre-existing settlements in two.

The modern city was built over a pre-existing Etruscan settlement.

As it was an urban castle inserted into a pre-existing settlement, buildings were probably cleared to make way for the castle.

The castle is built on the place of a pre-existing Slavic settlement and a medieval castle.

Some towns which received a German law charter were based on pre-existing settlements, while others were constructed anew by colonists.

The town was located around the small pre-existing settlement.

Building a castle in a pre-existing settlement could require demolishing properties on the site.

It is possible that "Medeshamstede" began as the name of an unrecorded, pre-existing Anglian settlement, at or near the site.