Stogumber's Fields

‘Field’ used to refer to an area of agricultural land which was usually used for arable production but which unlike modern fields, had no boundaries.

The word for what we now call a field was 'close'. This is seen in the 1695 schedule of the manor of Stogumber which only has the word 'field' once where it refers to 'land in Preston fields'. Two examples of more normal descriptions are:

A dwelling house, garden and orchard and three acres of pasture.

A dwelling house and certain closes of land and pasture

Closes were usually small and situated immediately next to the settlement; fields were very large and situated further away.

Although open fields are widely thought to have disappeared from the English landscape by 1600, they persisted in West Somerset and in the parish of Stogumber for much longer as this map of 1796 shows. Open fields also survived at this time at Preston Fields.

A medieval open field survives at Braunton in north Devon. It is enormous as the photograph shows, and is divided into strips which grow a variety of crops. Different commoners have rights to use different parts of the field hence the variety of planting. The strips are about 220 yards long – or a furlong. In medieval times such strips were called ‘lands’, ‘raps’ or ‘buts’ amongst other names

Such lands were ploughed using oxen. Oxen were very strong but difficult to turn around and required a large area at the end of the lands known as a headland in which to turn.

Evidence for the enclosure of strips in former open fields can be seen in this Nineteenth century map of part of Ashbeer

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It is also evident in the field names in this area.

The Black Death  led to landlords being forced to sell or let their land on long leases. This is one such lease showing a typical sized holding of between 20 and 30 acres – considered sufficient to support a family. It runs for three lifetimes – as good as freehold in many respects.

All sorts of things which it had previously been uneconomic to farm began to appear in the landscape. Rabbits for instance !

There is evidence for a  rabbit warren having existed at Hartrow in the form of several 'warren' field names - it may well have been located in the area circled below .

Deer were also farmed locally following the Black Death, as were flax and hemp.

Above all however, the drop in the population, and the fall in the demand for grain led to an increase in pasture.

Sheep began to be extensively farmed. The Quantocks were given over to permanent pasture. Peoples’ diets improved and the population recovered. Great wealth flowed into the village from the production of wool and woollen cloth. Nowhere is this better seen than in Stogumber church itself.

The change in the pattern of land tenure towards many small holders, along with the increase in livestock farming led to the creation of many new enclosures or what we would now call fields. This was considered notable and remarkable to people in the early 1500s.

The schedule of Stogumber manor from this period indicates the size of typical enclosures: most were only 2 or 3 acres but the larger were 7 acres. The very largest enclosure of all in the schedule was 10 acres.

Even though there were more enclosures in the period following  the Black Death, many areas of the parish remained 'open' untill the late 1700s.  As well as open strip-type arable fields at Ashbeer, Preston and Rowdon, there were areas known as Capton Down, Rowdon Common and Rexton Gorths. Just across the parish boundaries were the common at Heddon, Tolland Down, and the heath at Crowcombe.

The swing to arable farming occasioned by the Napoleonic Wars, and a drive to more modern and intensive farming methods led to the widespread removal of hedgerows. The  maps below and below  right  show the combining of 5 fields into 2 at Carslake during the Eighteenth century

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As the village population expanded so too did the range and extent of the closes surrounding it.

Two candidates for later closes would be Great and Little Breach – both now no longer extant but apparent from the 1840 tithe map.

‘Breach’ is thought to derive from a middle English word meaning a clearing from woodland. This would indicate that these two closes might have been created between 1100 and 1400 AD.  The close immediately below them is called Old Close which can be taken as corroboration of Great and Little Breach being of more recent origin.

The parish was extensively farmed by the Anglo-Saxons who came to West Somerset between 700 and 800 AD. This is a satellite photograph of Preston which was probably an Anglo Saxon settlement, and it shows the prevalence of close field names immediately around Preston itself. There are a series of ‘field’ names beyond. These modern names are perhaps vestiges which are indicative of a typical three field Anglo-Saxon farming pattern.

Another probable Anglo-Saxon settlement is Capton. The two large modern fields pictured to the rigelowht hide a long history.

In 1796 they were a series of 14 fields. The hedges have been planted enclosing what was formally open field. The strip on the right is still in evidence and those on the left show former lands or strips. They are approximately 220 yards long

The headlands are clearly seen on the 1796 map. Field number 232 was called ‘headland’ until it disappeared in the Nineteenth century.

Medieval agriculture was very much less efficient than that practiced nowadays and to feed each person required 40 times more land than is the case now.

For this reason although the population was very much smaller it required enormous amounts of land to be cultivated. So great was the need to grow grain that areas such as the Quantocks were routinely ploughed in this period, and terraces were constructed on steep hillsides to allow them to be planted.

The Black Death which hit Stogumber in 1348 led to huge changes in society and in the fieldscape which had been in place for 500 years or more

The list of priests in the parish is the only evidence we have for the impact of the disease as far as Stogumber is concerned. Taken along with other local evidence it seems likely that half of the population of the parish died within 4 years.

 This picture is of an area that was formerly a common pasture known as Charlwood Common.

The common ran from Kingswood to Curdon as seen on the map below dated 1796. Tenants who lived nearby had commoners' rights on it: the right to graze animals, cut turf and collect wood.

Constant disputes arose between the commoners and their landlords. This is an extract from a letter from John Wyndham to Sir John Trevalyen at Nettlecombe Court. Eventually to resolve matters once and for all Sir John bought the commoners rights and became the de facto owner of the land.

Sir

I understand by my tenant Exton that great wrongs are offered him daily in his common uppon Churlwood by means of inclosures made by one Hugh Dudridge and his attemptes to build a newe howse thereon. And so by litle and litle to abridge his right of Common …by former inclosures made in your fathers tyme so much of the hill hath bene taken awaie, as now there are remaining not Common sufficient  to those that have interest of Common there; and that further .. grants (are) made by you to strangers for the taking of Common there.. that fretteth it with greater nomber of sheepe then the tenants of right might do themselves. I will no more endure it....

By 1840 Charlwood common had disappeared and been turned into three field – Long Close, Yonder Charlwood and Middle Charlwood. All of the other open areas in the parish had also disappeared and been turned into privately owned fields by this stage including the 1,000  year old open fields at Ashbeer and Preston.

These three fields were planted with grain – probably oats. By 1840 nearly three quarters of all agricultural land in the parish had been turned to arable production.

The reason for this was very largely down to Napoleon whose invasion of Prussia and subsequent blockade of trade to England jeopardised Britain’s food supplies. There was a widespread move to enclose and farm land which was seen as unproductive as illustrated by this enthusiastic quotation from one MP.

Areas such as the Somerset levels were drained and enclosed, and John Knight started farming on Exmoor. Stogumber was very much part of the national picture.

Although it has not been possible to include every aspect of the history of the parish’s fields and agriculture, it is hoped that the broad story has been told. Unlikely as it seems things like immigration, disease and war have shaped and influenced the fields that we have all around us today.

 ©Duncan Taylor 2009