vi.] DISTRIBUTION OF LAND IN ENGLAND. 23 



and descended from father to son by a species of 

 customary entail. 



I do not find, however, that Mr. Seebohm has 

 attempted to answer the question, why the land was 

 cultivated in these strips. The practice can scarcely 

 have arisen through any requirement of tenure. 

 The strips generally contained half an acre. Why 

 was not the virgate of the peasant divided into 

 allotments, say of ten acres each, situate in each of 

 the three great fields, supposing the land to be 

 cultivated on the three field system ? 



I venture to suggest that the answer may be 

 found in a custom, traces of which may still be 

 observed in Cambridgeshire, and which prevailed, 

 I believe, in other parts of the country. 



The land, by skilful management of the plough, 

 was thrown into ridges rising gradually from the 

 sides to the middle, and having deep furrows between 

 the ridges. The traces of these ridges are still called 

 "high backs/' 



Now the land was brought into this form, as it is 

 supposed on very probable grounds, with a view to 

 drainage, at a period when tile drainage did not 

 exist. Such distance as might be found by experi- 

 ence most suitable for this purpose would, of course, 

 be left between the deep furrows. 



The term acre was probably applied to as much 

 land as the Saxon team of eight oxen could plough 

 in a day, and this was found to be two high backs of 



