380 ENGLISH FIELD SYSTEMS 



Unfortunately, however, virgates are seldom described so fully as 

 they are in the instance just quoted, although the statement that 

 a messuage accompanies the parcels often shows that tenants' 

 holdings are in question. The characteristics of open field — 

 small parcels in several localities and sometimes two parcels in 

 the same furlong — are usually apparent in these terriers. Prac- 

 tically all of them, however, fail to group parcels according to 

 two or three fields. The only item suggesting such a grouping 

 is from Stanstead, where in the thirteenth century thirty arable 

 acres were divided among three fields as follows : — 



" In campo qui vocatur Alfladesfelde quindecem acras 

 et in campo qui vocatur Kyngesfelde decern acras 

 et in campo qui vocatur Bokkeberwefeld quinque acras." ' 



Even these acres, it should be noted, were unaccompanied by a 

 messuage and were unequally divided among the fields. Since 

 this is only one of a long series of Stanstead grants, and since all 

 the others apportion their acres unequally among fields, there is 



.\t Munden a fine of 15 John enumerates six acres as follows: — 



" i acram in Netherlee iuxta essartum 

 et ad chevicias illius acre unam rodam et dimidiam 

 et Infra essartum duas acras et i rodam 

 et in Hertwelleschote dimidiam acram 



et in campo qui vocatur Pucheleslee unam acram et dimidiam . . . 

 et in eodem campo unam acram et dimidiam 

 et in Buttes unam rodam et dimidiam 

 et in Bradecroft duas acras et dimidiam 

 et ad chevicias de Sewanesfeld unam rodam 

 et in eodem campo de Sewanesfeld tres rodas cum forera 

 et unam acram bosci " (Ped. Fin., 84-7-29). 



A grant at Stanstead, typical of many that occur in the Waltham cartulary, 



nins as follows : — 



" Concessi viginti acras terre mee arabilis in villa de Stanstede, scilicet, 

 duas acras terre et dimidiam cum mesuagio que sunt ex opposite molendini de Stanstede 

 et tres acras et dimidiam super KettesheU 

 et unam et dimidiam ulterius in eodem campo 



et ex opposite de KettesheU ex parte altera duas acras et unam rodam . . . 

 et quinque rodas terre et dimidiam ultra le Newestrate . . . 

 et duas acras et unam rodam ad quercum . . . 

 et duas acras ulterius in eodem campo 

 et unam croftam cum sepibus et fossatis continentem quatuor acras iuxta mesuagium 



Jordani Partryke . . . 

 et unum mesuagium cum crofta quod vocatur hosgodeshamstall quod continet tres 



rodas . . . 

 et tres acras prati mei et dimidiam " (Harl. MS. 4809, f. 146). 



> Harl. MS. 4809, f. 147&. 



