5. YORKSHIRE. 51 



of a fubjcdt, which, though it has of late 

 years been much agitated, appears to be, even 

 ycr, imperfectly undcrftood. 



In the beginning of the prefent century, 

 the immediate townlhip of Pickering re- 

 mained in its ancient uninclofed ftate. 



Having been thought too large to be 

 laid out conveniently as one townfh p, ir had 

 been judicioufly fplit into two divilions by 

 a natural line, a confiderable brook which 

 runs through it. 



On each fide of the brook lay a fuite of 

 COMMON FIELDS; three in number; for the 

 unvarying round of wheat, &c. beans, &c. 

 fallow. Thefe comt:icn fields were refpec- 

 tively divided into cxgan^s evenly fcattcred 

 over every field ; fo that each occupier might 

 have an equal or fimilar fhare of good and 

 bad, near and diftant land ; the houfes being 

 in this, as in every other conimoii-fieid town- 

 fhlp, placed in the town. Eich field con- 

 fifted of twenty-two oxgangs ; each of which, 

 on one fide of the townfl/ip, contained twen- 

 ty-four acres — on the other twelve acres ; 

 confequently the fix fields contained 2^75 

 acres. 

 Each divifion had likewife its commo.v 



MEADOW, 



E 2 Other 



