By Rev. C. S. Ruddile. 3 
was that the lands which make up a farm did not lie together so 
as to make a compact holding, but were dispersed over the cultivable 
portion of the parish. This arose from the ancient custom which 
obtained over all England for centuries of dividing all arable in a 
manor into three sections. Each of these would in succession be in 
wheat, then in barley or some other light crop, and then in fallow. 
Along with this custom was another of assigning a yard-land of 
30 reputed acres of arable to each farm. Now it is evident that 
this would require that the farm should have 10 acres in each field. 
But it would not require that the 10 acres should be contiguous, 
and probably they very seldom were. There would no doubt by 
degrees be some consolidation, but it was only as one parish after 
another went under an enclosure act that this great hindrance to 
agriculture was ended. 
- In 1813, when Great Durnford Farm was sold, the following 
particulars were given by the vendor :— 
aT Dp. 
In Lower Hitching Field : pieces, Arable 12 0 26 
In Upper Ham 5 a 15 38 10 
Low Field : is Fp 11 14 
” ” 4 ” ” 8 0 22 
In North Field . Lea i 43 2 24 
In Middle ,, Opi hy vA 49 0 35 
In South ,, LOD sa35 Af 39 1 14 
Here, in 169 acres, are forty-eight different parcels of land, 
averaging little over 3} acres each. 
In a farm at Netton, sold at the same time, the average was 
less :— 
Commonable lands. All arable. 
: a Yr. Dp. 
In East Field 7 pieces 9 2 18 
- In North Field 11 ,, 9 0 6 
In Middle Field 11 _,, 13 0 15 
In South Field 10 ,, 11 2 — 
‘ Now in this case there are 43 acres in thirty-nine separate pieces 
of ground of little more than one aere each. 
B 2 
