Monument record 8950 - Open Field System, Upper Boddington

{1} Upper and Lower Boddington appear each to have had separate common fields, but both were enclosed under the same Act of Parliament in 1758. Ridge and furrow of these fields exists on the ground or can be traced on air photographs over almost the whole parish except in a small area north of Upper Boddington known as Little Common. However, on the higher land in the extreme north west of the parish known as Short Down leys ridge and furrow is still visible. On the lower, flatter ground in the south and south west the ridge and furrow is arranged mainly in large rectangular interlocked furlongs, but on the higher land in the north and north west, and especially on the steep slopes there, end-on furlongs are more common.

Several minor details of the common fields are of interest. To the south west of Lower Boddington two large end-on furlongs of reversed-S form have been ploughed as one, with the result that the ridges twist as they rise over the older underlying headlands. This also occurs in other places for example west of Lower Boddington and west of Upper Boddington.

<1> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1982, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.21 (checked) (Series). SNN77382.

Record last edited

Mar 17 2014 11:34AM