284 Notes on the History of Great Somerford. 
not far off. There was no bridge here until about one hundred 
years ago, but a bridge at Rodbourne could be used when the way 
to Malmesbury, through Little Somerford, was prevented by floods. 
In old deeds various names are given to the parish itself or parts 
of it. Great Somerford, Broad Somerford, Somerford Magna, 
Somerford Ewyas, Somerford Maltravers or Mautravers, and 
Somerford Bolles all occur—often three of them together. These 
latter names arose from families which owned a large amount of 
property in the parish at various times. All trace of them is now 
lost except the last. A. field in the middle of the village is still 
called ‘ Bolles,” another field, in quite a different part of the 
parish, is called ‘‘ Bolles Ham,” and the open ground, which was 
formerly near the bridge, was called ‘‘ Balsey Green.” If we wish 
to form an idea of the appearance of the parish in old times, we 
must think of the greater number of the hedges, as they exist 
now, swept away; the thatched homesteads being clustered near 
the roads adjoining the river with a few in the outlying portion of 
the parish called Steikeley, and surrounded by open commons, 
arable and pasture. The land attached to the different homesteads 
would be made up of half-acre strips in the arable common lands 
with the feeding of so many oxen in the common pastures. The 
strips which composed the farm arable land did not lie together, — 
but in what would seem to us now the most bewildering confusion. 
The arable common lands were in fact cultivated much in the same 
way as allotment lands are at the present day. No doubt this 
system was in primitive times advantageous, the work of ploughing 
possibly being done in common. But so far back as five hundred ~ 
years ago, under changed circumstances, its inconveniences began 
to be felt. With the break-down of the manorial system, and the 
rise of small ownerships, exchanges began to be made for the purpose — 
of enlarging holdings. Ultimately, with the permission of the 
legislature, Enclosure Acts being passed, the open common lands 
and waste grounds were divided between the different owners of 
property in the parish, exchanges being at the same time made so 
as to consolidate the properties; and large enclosed fields took 
the place of open commons. The principal arable commons in 
s 
