332 ENGLISH FIELD SYSTEMS 



the fourteenth century as was the contemporary Kentish tillage 

 which cultivated all arable acres yearly.^ 



The foregoing testimony of surveys and terriers tends in general 

 to show that Norfolk " fields " had from the beginning of the 

 fifteenth century no agricultural significance, and that, although 

 a three-course rotation usually prevailed, it was not dependent 

 upon a throc-ficid system. It may be objected, however, that 

 an earlier system was then in decay, one in which names of fields 

 had more than topographical connotation. Without doubt an 

 old system was in decay in the fifteenth century, but scarcely 

 in the sense intimated. What this earlier situation was must 

 now be explained. 



With regard to tillage, the custom in East Anglian fields before 

 the sixteenth century was not unlike that practiced by George 

 Elmdon in the days of the Armada. Information on this subject 

 is to be had from extents of Norfolk demesne lands contained in 

 inquisitions post mortem of the first half of the fourteenth cen- 

 tury.- Sometimes these contain statements which, with change 

 of areas, are like the following from East Bradenham: " Sunt c 

 acre terre arabilis per minus centum de quibus possunt seminari 

 per annum Ix et seminate fuerunt ante mortem predicti Rogeri 

 [inquisition dated i6 June, 1 1 Edward III] et valent per annum xx 

 solidos, pretium acre iiii d. Et totum residuum nihil valet per 

 annum quia iacet ad warectam et in com.muni." ^ The signifi- 

 cant information here is that one-third of the demesne land was 

 fallow throughout every third year, and then was of no value, 

 since it lay in common. Occasionally the phrase is " in communi 

 campo," leaving no doubt that the demesne was open common 

 field. ^ The townships about which this could be said lay in 

 eastern as well as in western Norfolk, a fact that fixes the cus- 

 tom upon the entire county.' Although similar remarks about 



^ Cf. above, p. 302. * Cf. above, p. 46. 



* C. Inq. p. Mort., Edw. Ill, F. 51 (11). 



* " Sunt cxx acre terre arabilis . . . de quibus iiii'" acre terre seminabantur 

 hoc anno . . . et residuum iacet ad warectam et in communi campo " (ibid., 51 

 (10), Newton). 



* Ibid., 46 (3) Gayton, 45 (18) Rainham and Islington, all three in the west of 

 the county; 51 (10) Caistor and Hellesdon, in the center and east. 



