84 PLACE AND FIELD NAMES OF DERBYSHIRE. 
Corn was cultivated to a certain extent by the Ancient Britons. 
Ceesar relates that one of his first battles with the inhabitants took 
place in a corn-field. Under the great care and diligence of the 
Romans, during the four hundred years that they occupied this 
island, the tillage of the soil was brought to a great state of per- 
fection, and England was looked upon as one of the great western 
granaries of the empire. Contrary to the generally received 
opinion, agriculture received a check on the invasion of the Anglo- 
Saxons, and owing partly to their continued wars, and partly to 
their lack of skill, much of the land, that had been previously 
tilled, lapsed into wastes and marshes. From the old Charters 
and from Domesday Book we find that the amount of arable land 
on any estate was comparatively small. It was only the rich who’ 
could afford wheaten bread, the poorer classes were content with 
barley, oats, and more especially rye. The very large proportion 
of Rye Crorts, fields, closes, and pingles, which are met with in 
the parish maps of this county, afford an ample proof of 
the extent to which this species of corn was cultivated. Wheat 
and oats are also met with occasionally in a similar combina- 
tion, such are WHEATCROFT, and OATHILL. 
_ Snuckton (Mugginton), and two hamlets in the north ag 
Derbyshire called SHEFFIELD, speak of the corn when reaped. 
Their prefix is derived from sceaf a sheaf.* Barron is the 
enclosure for the dear, or crop which the land bears. In 
many parts of England, especially in the western counties, the 
rick-yard, or large store-barn is called the barton. Barn itself 
is from Jdeve-ern, the corn-place. There is a hill near Buxton 
called BaRNnuo, and the instances of Barton are not infrequent 
throughout the county. We also find BaRMoor, and BaRLow. 
All forms of coarse vegetation were naturally very prevalent 
Collutionibus.” JZinsheus gives a similar derivation in his ‘‘ Guide into the 
Tongues,” 1623, aud yet we find writers who assert that this tree was not 
introduced into England till the middle of the 17th century. 
* The stream, called the Sheaf, on which the Yorkshire Shefheld is situ- 
ated, rises in Derbyshire near one of the hamlets mentioned above. It is, 
perhaps then more likely that it receives its name from the river. For 
the meaning of Sheaf see chapter on Celtic names. 
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