Anglo-Saxon medieval society placed worths on resource areas. For example: a piece of fertile farmland, a flint mine, a deer run, a section of forest (free chase), a peat bog, or a water source all had worths, and the building of settlements were centered ON these prime areas. All initial buildings would be placed to maximize a worths potential. You also have to remember that the British Isles were covered in forest around this period (circa 1000 AD). This woodland needed to be cleared from around a worth, some times the cleared area would be become a worth itself (arable land). But as a settlement progressed and developed, the need for specialists arose. These new specialist buildings still needed to maximize the worths potential, but also be strategically placed so all persons could readily come and go between worths and the new building. The bakeries would not be too far from the mill, for instance. The granaries would be nearby the fields (personal experience - I picked spring onions in Suffolk one summer). Making the settlement more efficient and therefore maximizing the worths value, was the emphasis throughout the early medieval period. This is when the first one lane villages (street town) were starting to be seen. A single maintained lane would make travel between support buildings more efficient. Hedgerows were also used when marking the boundaries between worths. Coastal areas were valuable because of the readily available stone exposed by tidal erosion. The stones were hauled (sometimes hundreds) of miles and were in constant need for new construction (mainly churches). If the first buildings constructed were centered on the worths, then the supporting buildings were built nearby those buildings, and so forth. The simple and practical was more important than flashy or eye catching (exception being cathedrals). If map designers use this basis in their maps, they will see more enjoyment gained from being historically accurate (therefore more artistic and fun).