village there would be several sets of such fields. They were divided into small strips—originally of an acre or half-an-acre each—and were separated by narrow strips of turf, known as balks, linches, lanchards, or lanchets. These strips were often distributed by lot. Each family drew one lot at a time, until everyone had one strip, and then the drawing went on again, until all the strips were apportioned. Thus it happened that a man would have several non-contiguous strips. The fact was, that in the common field system the land was held, not by the individual, but by the community; and this is further shown by the practice of throwing the whole field open, when the crops were got in, and using it as common pasture for half the year. The period when the land is thrown open always has reference to the crop the field or meadow is devoted to during the close time. Thus at Hackney, the Downs seem to have been arable land, while the marshes were common meadows. The open time for all was from Old Lammas Day (12th August) to Old Lady Day (6th April). So the open time is from Lammas Day to the then end of the civil year. Hackney Downs and Marshes are still occupied in severalty during a part of the year. In old times, villagers who thus held land in common were called "customary tenants," and a little later, "copyholders." They paid no rent for the town-lands, but tilled the lord's own demesne in return for their holdings. It was recognised that they should not be disturbed as long as they performed their "soccage"; but they were subject to "fines" on deaths or sales, from which fines freeholders were exempt. The freeholders performed military service.[1]
As late as 1883, when Seebohm wrote on village communities, instances of the system still remained in Lincolnshire. The common fields of Barrowden and North and South Luffenham consisted of 4600 acres. In Barrowden there were 40 owners out of a population of 636. Their buildings were all congregated in the village; and the
- ↑ "Two features distinguish common-field or meadow-land from private land on one hand, and common land on the other, 1. It is owned by several persons in strips or plots, unfenced from each other, but well-ascertained, and marked by small bound-stones, etc. 2. During part of the year, the whole is used in common."—Sir Robert Hunter, "Preservation of Open Spaces," etc., p. 160.
