A selection of publications and webpages providing further information about, and sources for, fields and field systems
Other North Yorkshire Archives blog pages:
Easingwold: historic maps and plans
Enclosure and the Landscape: a case study from Harome, near Helmsley
Glebe, terriers, tithes and enclosure – webpage from our Treasures of the Parish Chest online exhibition
Introduction to Historic Maps and Plans – webpage from our online guide to researching house history
North Yorkshire Archives publications:
The Hessay Enclosure of 1831: A study in the economic and social history of an Ainsty township in the 19th century by P.R. Newman, 1982 (North Yorkshire County Record Office Publication 29)
Monastic Charters and other documents relating to Medieval Piety in the North Yorkshire County Record Office, edited by M.Y. Ashcroft and E.A. Jones, 2009 (2 volumes, 797 pages; North Yorkshire County Record Office Publication 71) – A collection of all medieval documents in the North Yorkshire County Record Office identified as relating to religious houses, religious and charitable organisations and religious piety. Transcriptions in Latin or English are provided for many of the documents, but in some cases documents are presented in summary form, particularly where good transcripts are published elsewhere. Volume 2 includes Walburn charters.
Parliamentary Enclosure in Carlton in Coverdale: theory, practice and outcomes by Dr Elaine Joynes, 2012 (North Yorkshire County Record Office Publication 73) – During the height of parliamentary enclosure in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, there was a rush to enclose common ground as a means of agricultural improvement. This detailed study of enclosure in one Dales township compares the theory of enclosure with the practice as it happened on the ground.
Useful websites:
North Yorkshire Tithe Maps: A snapshot of 19th-century North Yorkshire – View a selection of tithe maps and transcribed apportionments from the collections held by North Yorkshire Archives.
How to look for… Enclosure Acts, awards and maps – The National Archives online research guide
Finding medieval landscape names – University of Nottingham Institute for Name-Studies webpage
University of Nottingham, Manuscripts and Special Collections’ webpage on Measurements
Sources of aerial photography online:
Britain from Above website
Cambridge University Committee for Aerial Photography website
Google Earth (for historical imagery use slider bar to view the older aerial photography)
Historic England Aerial Archaeology Mapping Explorer website
Historic England Aerial Photo Explorer website
National Library of Scotland side by side viewer webpage (a split-screen tool that lets you compare georeferenced historic maps with satellite and LiDAR imagery)
Bibliography:
A New Dictionary of English Field-Names by Paul Cavill, English Place-Name Society, 2018
Yorkshire Enclosure Awards by Barbara English, University of Hull Department of Adult Education, 1985
A History of English Field Names (Approaches To Local History) by John Field, Routledge, 1993
Enclosure Records for Historians by Steven Hollowell, The History Press Ltd., 2000
The Making of the English Landscape by W.G. Hoskins, Penguin Books Ltd., 1985
Fields by Richard and Nina Muir, Macmillan, 1989
Fields in the English Landscape by Christopher Taylor, Sutton Publishing Ltd., 2000
North Yorkshire Archives Blog 