Monument record 8682 - Open Field System, Aston Le Walls

{1} The date of the enclosure of Aston le Walls is unknown. Ridge-and-furrow exists on the ground or can be traced on air photographs over parts of the parish, though the construction of the large wartime airfield S.E. of Aston village has removed much of the evidence. On the flat ground in the N.W. and S.E. of the parish the ridge-and-furrow is mainly arranged in interlocked blocks but along the Middle Lias Clay escarpment it is all in end-on furlongs running across the contours. In this area there is evidence of the over-ploughing of ancient landslips (SP 487503), and of the joining up of former end-on furlongs (SP 489506). To the N.W. of the fishponds (SP 491511) one furlong has more ridges in its S. half than it has in the N.; groups of the S. ridges join in the centre of the furlong to become single ridges. This must be the result of the joining of two once separate end-on furlongs where the existing ridges could not be matched. Another similar example lies to the S. (SP 491508). Along the N.W. boundary of the parish there are considerable areas which appear never to have had ridge- and-furrow on them, but these may have been extensive patches of very wet ground close to the small stream which could not have been ploughed.

<1> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1982, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.11 (checked) (Series). SNN77382.

Record last edited

May 24 2021 10:36AM