Monument record 1791 - Open Field System, Hargrave

Contiguous blocks of medieval or post-medieval ridge and furrow cultivation earthworks, remnants of the former common open-field system, are visible on historic aerial photographs and remote sensing data. Located in Hargrave parish, the blocks are especially concentrated around the village. Notable are linear earthwork banks that are likely of medieval date, but some of which may have earlier origins. Between 33-40 metres wide, the function of many of these earthworks may be boundaries to ridge and furrow blocks, or plough headlands, but others appear to underlie extant ridge and furrow earthworks. Remote sensing data and aerial photographs taken in 2018 show that almost all of the blocks have been plough levelled.

{1-10} Contiguous blocks of medieval or post-medieval ridge and furrow cultivation earthworks, remnants of the former common open-field system, are visible on historic aerial photographs and remote sensing data and were mapped as part of the Bedford Borough NMP project. Located in Hargrave parish and centred at TL 03109 71233, the blocks are especially concentrated around Hargrave village, aerial photographs taken in the mid-1940s show that many of the blocks were already plough levelled at that time. Notable are the linear and sinuous earthwork banks that are likely of medieval date, but some of which may have earlier origins, that are sometimes visible on aerial photographs taken in 1947, but have been mapped from remote sensing data. Between 33-40 metres in width, the function of many of these earthworks may be boundaries to ridge and furrow blocks, or plough headlands, but others appear to underlie extant ridge and furrow earthworks. Remote sensing data and aerial photographs taken in 2018 show that almost all of the blocks have been plough levelled.

<1> Bedford Borough Council HER, 1940s, Georeferenced composite layer of vertical aerial photographs taken in the 1940s. Held by Bedford Borough Council HER (Archive). SNN112713.

<2> Royal Air Force, Vertical Aerial Photography, RAF/106G/UK/635 RS 4102 10-AUG-1945 (Photographs). SNN104890.

<3> Royal Air Force, Vertical Aerial Photography, RAF/CPE/UK/1925 FP 1337 16-JAN-1947 (Photographs). SNN104890.

<4> Royal Air Force, Vertical Aerial Photography, RAF/CPE/UK/1925 FS 2266 16-JAN-1947 (Photographs). SNN104890.

<5> Royal Air Force, Vertical Aerial Photography, RAF/CPE/UK/1925 RP 3267 16-JAN-1947 (Photographs). SNN104890.

<6> Bedford Borough Council HER, 1968, Georeferenced composite layer of vertical aerial photographs taken in 1968. Held by Bedford Borough Council HER (Archive). SNN112712.

<7> Bedford Borough Council HER, 1996, Georeferenced composite layer of vertical aerial photographs taken in 1996. Held by Bedford Borough Council HER (Archive). SNN111739.

<8> Environment Agency, LIDAR Composite DTM - 1m, LIDAR TL0170, 0270-0271, 0370-0372, 0470-0471 Environment Agency 1m DTM 26-FEB>30-MAR-2009 (Digital Plots). SNN111710.

<9> Vertical Aerial Photograph, EARTH.GOOGLE.COM 02-JUN-2009 ACCESSED 08-OCT-2018 (Aerial Photograph(s)). SNN112695.

<10> Vertical Aerial Photograph, Next Perspectives APGB Imagery TL 0170-0171, 0270-0271, 0370-0372, 0470-0472 12-JUN-2018 (Aerial Photograph(s)). SNN112695.

<11> Bedford Borough Council HER, Undated, Bedford Borough NMP (Archive). SNN113023.

Record last edited

Feb 10 2025 7:51PM