Monument record 9208 - Open Field System, Astrop

{1} The date of the enclosure of the common fields of Upper and Lower Astrop is unknown, though it was presumably before the 18th century. Ridge and furrow of the fields can be traced on air photos over much of the area of the land attributable to Astrop, but little now survives on the ground. The pattern is almost entrirely recoverable in the area of Astrop Park, between Upper and Lower Astrop, where large rectangular end-on furlongs are visible, many with reversed-S curves and almost all running east-west. Among the features of interest here are the sudden changes of ridge width from 4m to 10m within one furlong (SP505368) and a broad hollow way passing between end-on furlongs (SP507373). In the north of the land of Astrop, around Buston Farm (SP505387), there was formerly another broad track up to 40m wide and deeply hollowed in places, curving up the hillside. To the east of it (SP505388), within a normal furlong of reversed-S ridge and furrow 7m wide, was one unusual ridge 140m long which tapered from 16m wide at its south west end to 9m wide at its north east. Elsewhere in this area ironstone mining and later cultivation had destroyed all the ridge and furrow before the earliest air photos were taken.

<1> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1982, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.95 site 13 (checked) (Series). SNN77382.

Record last edited

Oct 25 2019 1:41PM