328 ENGLISH FIELD SYSTEMS 



can only imply that each of the four flocks of sheep always had 

 at its disposal about one-fourth of the unimproved land of the 

 township, and after harvest time could also be pastured over 

 such of the arable as lay within the bounds of its fold-course. 

 If we should try to picture the arable of any course as comprised 

 within one of the three fields, we should at once see that such 

 an arrangement would not have permitted the flock of the 

 course in question to fare the same in winter-wheat years as in 

 fallow ones. At times all of the course would have been under 

 crops, at times all of it fallow. If stubble fodder was always to 

 be available for each of several flocks of a township, a system 

 different from the typical three-field one must have been evolved. 

 Within each fold-course some parcels of land must have been 

 under winter crops, others under spring crops, and others fallow. 

 The actual situation is disclosed in an indenture of 26 Eliza- 

 beth that conveyed the Holkham manor called Nealds, alias 

 Lucas. ^ This manor, we are told, consisted of 25 acres which 

 formed the site of the manor-house, 234 acres in South field, 

 67 in Church field, and 88 in Stathe field. Appurtenant to these 

 lands were certain common rights of pasture, viz. : — 



(a) " Item a Liberty of Fould course and Fouldage and shacke 

 with shepe in the southe fielde of Holkham [but, as the map 

 shows, by no means over the entire South field]. 



(b) " Item a common of pasture ... for horse, neate, and 

 sheepe at all tymes in the year in fourteen score acres lyinge in 

 the southe parte of Holkham Common Lynge. [This area and 

 the preceding comprised " Caldowe fold course " on the map.] 



(c) " Item another common of pasture ... in all tymes of 

 the year for horse, neate, and swyne in all the commons of Holk- 

 ham aforesayde. 



(d) " Item another common of pasture ... for horse, neate, 

 and swyne [but not for sheep] uppon all the feilds, grounds, and 

 marshes within Holkham aforesaid lyinge freshe and unsowne 



man ought to kepe or mainteyne any folde corse within the marshe. But of late 

 there is one Edmund Newgate taketh upon [him] to kepe five hundred shepe there 

 whereas before tyme his Grandfather and others Kepte not above two hundred 

 yet there upon theire privat marshe." 

 1 Holkham Records, uncatalogued. 



