Monument record 4039 - Beanfield Lawn, The Launde of Benefeelde

The Lawn was apparently considered to be a detached part of the parish of Benefield in the Medieval period.

{1} The site of the forest lodge and its surrounding land, known as The Lawn, were apparently considered to be a detached part of Benefield parish in the medieval period. The map of 1580 shows that the eastern part of this area has been built over and its boundaries destroyed. The western half survives, but the present hedges appear to be relatively recent and almost purely of thorn. The map also indicates the extent of the original lawn within Rockingham Forest [currently mapped only very approximately]. The C17th economy of the Lawn is well recorded.

{6} Peterborough Abbey had rights in Benefield in the 12th century. The lawns were intended to be non-commonable enclosures to provide pasture and hay for the deer but were often exploited by the keepers and the local ecomony as a whole. The custody and surplus herbage and pannage of Beanfield Lawn was granted to Sir Christopher Hatton in 1583. Subsequent heirs derived significant profit from this area of land.

{7} During the post medieval period Beanfield Lawn was still important to the economy of local villages and during the 17th century cattle were still kept there, which were fed and cared for by local people for payment. The Lawn was divided into furlongs which were then sub-divided into smaller parcels, generally between one and three acres in size. The Lawn was so profitable that, although permission was granted in 1720 to disafforest it and convert it into tillage, it was retained. The Lawns were still planned as a separate entity in the 1824 Tithe Map. Beanfield Lawns, once extra-parochial, were formed into a separate entitiy in 1858.

<1> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1979, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.25 (checked) (Series). SNN77380.

<2> Treswell, 1580, Map of Beanfield, Corby, (unchecked) (Map). SNN31020.

<3> Page W. (ed), 1930, The Victoria History of the Counties of England: Northamptonshire, p.212 (unchecked) (Series). SNN100370.

<4> Bridges J., 1791, The History and Antiquities of Northamptonshire, p.395 (unchecked) (Book). SNN77326.

<5> Pettit P.A.J., 1968, The Royal Forests of Northamptonshire: A Study in Their Economy 1558-1714, p.150-51 (unchecked) (Series). SNN42130.

<6> Walker, C., 2013, Archaeological Desk-Based Heritage Assessment of Land at the Former Beanfield Comprehensive School, Corby, Northamptonshire, p.8 (checked) (Report). SNN108526.

<7> Walker, C., 2013, Archaeological Desk-Based Heritage Assessment of Land at the Former Kingswood School, Corby, Northamptonshire, p.8 (checked) (Report). SNN108522.

Record last edited

May 10 2024 1:24PM