3l8 ENGLISH FIELD SYSTEMS 



precinct.' This arrangement precludes the possibility that 

 Weasenham was at the end of the sixteenth century cultivated 

 as a two-field township. 



One of these late sixteenth-century holdings about which we 

 are well informed is that of George Elmdon, who, as noted above, 

 in four separate years (1583, 1584, 1588, 1589) made careful 

 record of how each parcel of his arable was sown. The account, 

 which is unique and valuable, shows that much of the holding 

 was leasehold and varied somewhat in amount from year to year. 

 When in 1588 Elmdon drew up a list of the lands in his possession, 

 he had 71 acres of enclosed arable and meadow, 12 acres of open 

 meadow, and 199 acres of open arable field. The notes that 

 describe the sowing of crops account for from 120 to 160 acres 

 yearly, but in the record of any one year a part of the open-field 

 arable usually fails to appear, because laid down for the time 

 in grass. An idea of the character of these notes will be got from 

 the following transcript, relative to the year 1584: — 



'' Wynter corne stubble to sowe barlye on pro anno 1585 



In dritelakesmere .xi" 



super Overgate versus boream xii" iii' di. 



Dowespitt iii' 



Roysdike als Rushdike di. et ii° yt John Burges had wheat on ii^ di. 



Rougham deale i" di. 



Ildemere furlonge et howlond iii* et di. 



Netherdotslands iiii pec' iii* di. rod. 



Saleyard i' di. 



Lawell furlonge ii" i"' 



Nether blacklonds i' di. 



Nether calgrave iii' 



Abb[utting] super marketstie versus austrum i* 



Item in the Southfeild iii' pease ex occidente de horswonge, 



yt was barlie the last yere iii' 



[Total, 401 acres.) 



' Holkham Records, field-book of 42 Eliz. The following cases are typical: — 



rp. ^, ■,, . „„ Southern Northern 



Tenant Messuages p^^j^^^^ p^^^^^ 



Manor of Northall i i83i mi 



Manor of Easthall i 205 117} 



Edward Coke, Esq 6 io3i 327 



Anthonie Brovner, Esq i i3oi 18J 



John Burgess i i6i 2J 



Hillarie Forby 3 3 29 



John Barton i 30^ 17J 



John Billings i 5 ij 



Thos. Linge i i\ 



Thos. Wright 1 .... 15 



