Monument record 5966 - Open Field System, Holcot

The common fields of the parish were enclosed by Act of Parliament of 1777, but nothing is known of their earlier arrangement. Ridge-and-furrow remains on the the ground or can be traced from air photographs over most of the parish, except along the valley bottoms, arranged in rectangular or curving blocks of end-on or interlocked furlongs.

{1} Earthworks: furlongs cover most of the parish but leave quite a lot of meadow and pasture. A possible plough-eroded barrow lies near to the village.

{2} The common fields of the parish were enclosed by Act of Parliament of 1777, but nothing is known of their earlier arrangement. Ridge-and-furrow remains on the the ground or can be traced from air photographs over most of the parish, except along the valley bottoms, arranged in rectangular or curving blocks of end-on or interlocked furlongs. The pattern is almost complete and suggests that most of the parish had been under cultivation at some time during the medieval period. There is a marked tendency for the ridges to run at right-angles to the contours on sloping ground. On the ground long, sinuous ridges up to 300m long and 25m wider, formerly headlands, still survive in a number of places.

<1> Hall D.N., 1975, Holcot Parish Survey, 5/29 (checked) (Journal). SNN25919.

<2> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1979, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.83 Site 8 (unchecked) (Series). SNN77380.

Record last edited

Aug 28 2026 2:06PM