The open fields of England / David Hall.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hall, David, 1938 September 3- author.

Series:

Medieval history and archaeology

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Agricultural systems--England--History--To 1500.

Agricultural systems.

Land use.

History.

England.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

xiv, 381 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color), maps (some color) ; 25 cm.

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Oxford, United Kingdom : Oxford University Press, 2014.

Summary:

The Open Fields of England describes the open-field system of agriculture that operated in Medieval England before the establishment of present-day farms surrounded by hedges or walls. The volume encompasses a wide range of primary data not previously assembled, to which are added the results of new research based upon a fifty-year study of open-field remains and their related documents. The whole of England is examined, describing eight different kinds of field system that have been identified, and relating them to their associated land-use and settlement. Details of field structure are explained, such as the demesne, the lord's land, and the tenants' holdings, as well as tenurial arrangements and farming methods. Previous explanations of open-field origins and possible antecedents to medieval fields are discussed. Various types of archaeological and historical evidence relating to Saxon-period settlements and fields are presented, followed by the development of a new theory to explain the layout and planned nature of many field systems found in the central belt of England. Of particular interest is the Gazetteer, which is organized by historic counties. Each county has a summary of its fields, including tabidated data and sources for future research, touching on the demesne, yardland size, work-service, assarts, and physical remains of ridge and furrow. The Gazetteer acts as a national handlist of field systems, opening the subject up to further research, and will prove essential to scholars of medieval agriculture. Book jacket.

Contents:

1 Townships and land-use p. 7

A Township and settlement p. 7

B Contrasting settlement and field types p. 10

C Land-use and management of meadows and pasture within townships p. 17

D Greens and droves in the Eastern and Western Regions p. 28

2 Field-system types: extensive fields of the Central Region p. 35

A The Midlands p. 35

B Yorkshire planned fields p. 45

C Central Region field systems incorporating sheepfolding p. 53

3 Field-system types in the Eastern and Western Regions p. 61

A Kent p. 61

B East Anglia p. 64

C The Wash Silt Fenlands p. 73

D Systems with one open field p. 78

E Convertible husbandry and infield-outfield p. 86

4 Open-field structure and management p. 95

A The demesne p. 95

B Open-field landholdings: yardlands, oxgangs, and undispersed holdings p. 105

C Tenurial arrangements in the fields p. 118

D Field regulations and farming methods p. 128

5 Early evidence for settlement and fields p. 134

A Archaeological evidence relating to Saxon-period settlements and fields p. 134

B Antecedents of medieval fields p. 154

C Intermixed strip holdings p. 165

6 Open-field beginnings p. 175

A Previous theories about the formation of intermixed fields p. 176

B Open-field beginnings and development p. 181

C Summary and future research p. 206.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780198702955

0198702957

OCLC:

885024073