Monument record 8344 - Open Field System, Bozeat

Extensive swathes of medieval or post-medieval ridge and furrow cultivation, remnants of the former open common field system, is visible on historic aerial photographs and remote sensing data. Located in Bozeat parish, many of the ridge and furrow blocks appear to share a roughly N-S alignment. Also notable are the numerous linear and sinuous plough levelled earthworks banks, plough headlands, field and boundary banks of probable medieval date, though some may be earlier in origin. Visible on remote sensing data throughout the parish, these features are remnants of a formerly contiguous agricultural cultivation system, but suggest that many of the ridge and furrow blocks had already been plough levelled by the mid 20th century. Aerial photographs taken since 2012 suggest that a number of the ridge and furrow blocks remain extant, most notably around Bozeat village, east of Spring Hill Farm and Manor Farm, west of Spring Vale Farm, and north of Red Gables Farm

{1} The common fields of the parish were enclosed by Act of Parliament of 1798. Immediately prior to that date there were three large open fields, covering all but the south west of the parish, called Dytches, Mill and Wood Fields. On two maps of 1605 the same three fields are shown but Mill Field appears to have been known as Sandewell Field. By the 17th century at least the south east part of the parish round Bozeat grange (SP903566) was emparked, though both it and the area to the east known at The Wolds, were under cultivation at an earlier date. Assarting in woodland is known to have taken place in 1264, and some small areas of wood still survived in 1544. However, the few remaining patches of woodland can all be shown to have been established on former arable land.
Ridge and furrow remains can be traced over most of the parish indicating that the extent of arable land had once been much wider than it was by the early 17th century. The ridges are arranged in end-on and interlocking furlongs, many of reversed-S form with a marked tendency for the ridges to run across the contours along the valley sides.

{3} The village of Bozeat operated a three-field system from 1441 until enclosure in 1799. A plan of the field system, based upon field observation and documentary research, has been published by D.Hall (1993). It shows the present study area bounded by furlongs on its north-eastern side and wet meadows at the south-western edge. The surviving ridge and furrow cultivation earthworks within the proposed minerals site were levelled by bulldozer in 1948 in order to facilitate ploughing.

{4-16} Extensive swathes of medieval or post-medieval ridge and furrow cultivation, remnants of the former open common field system, is visible on historic aerial photographs and remote sensing data and was mapped as part of the Bedford Borough NMP project. Located in Bozeat parish and centred at SP 91058 58565, many of the ridge and furrow blocks appear to share a roughly N-S alignment. Also notable are the numerous linear and sinuous plough levelled earthworks banks, plough headlands, field and boundary banks of probable medieval date, though some may be earlier in origin. Visible on remote sensing data throughout the parish, these features are remnants of a formerly contiguous agricultural cultivation system, but suggest that many of the ridge and furrow blocks had already been plough levelled by the mid 20th century. Aerial photographs taken since 2012 suggest that a number of the ridge and furrow blocks remain extant, most notably around Bozeat village, east of Spring Hill Farm and Manor Farm, west of Spring Vale Farm, and north of Red Gables Farm.

<1> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1979, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p. 4 Site 17 (unchecked) (Series). SNN77380.

<2> 1799, Bozeat Inclosure Map (NRO Map 2839), (unchecked) (Map). SNN293.

<3> 1996, Archaeological Assessment of Land at Bozeat, Northamptonshire: Stage 1 (Desk-Based), p.4 (checked) (Report). SNN75776.

<4> Bedford Borough Council HER, 1940s, Georeferenced composite layer of vertical aerial photographs taken in the 1940s. Held by Bedford Borough Council HER (Archive). SNN112713.

<5> Vertical Aerial Photograph, RAF/3G/TUD/UK/118 RVp1 6074-6076 03-APR-1946 (Aerial Photograph(s)). SNN112695.

<6> Farrell, P, 2021, Heritage Impact Assessment: Barn Conversion, Little Park Barn, Castle Ashby, October 2021, RAF/CPE/UK/1994 RP 3191 13-APR-1947 (Report). SNN112965.

<7> Vertical Aerial Photograph, RAF/CPE/UK/1994 FS 2197 13-APR-1947 (Aerial Photograph(s)). SNN112695.

<8> Vertical Aerial Photograph, RAF/541/341 RP 3133-3138 15-AUG-1949 (Aerial Photograph(s)). SNN112695.

<9> Bedford Borough Council HER, 1991, Georeferenced composite layer of vertical aerial photographs taken in 1991. Held by Bedford Borough Council HER (Archive). SNN111744.

<10> Environment Agency, LIDAR Composite DTM - 1m, LIDAR SP 9058-9060, 9157-9160, 9259-9260 Environment Agency 1m DTM NOV-2003–NOV-2012 (Digital Plots). SNN111710.

<11> Vertical Aerial Photograph, Next Perspectives APGB Imagery SP9157 12-JUN-2018 (Aerial Photograph(s)). SNN112695.

<12> Vertical Aerial Photograph, Next Perspectives APGB IR Imagery SP9059, 9159 12-JUN-2018 (Aerial Photograph(s)). SNN112695.

<13> Vertical Aerial Photograph, RAF/3G/TUD/UK/118 RVp2 6090 03-APR-1946 (Aerial Photograph(s)). SNN112695.

<14> Vertical Aerial Photograph, RAF/CPE/UK/1994 F9 1203 13-APR-1947 (Aerial Photograph(s)). SNN112695.

<15> Vertical Aerial Photograph, RAF/CPE/UK/2546 RS 4139 26-MAR-1948 (Aerial Photograph(s)). SNN112695.

<16> Environment Agency, LIDAR Composite DTM - 1m, LIDAR SP 9060, 9160, 9260 Environment Agency 1m DTM NOV-2003–NOV-2012 (Digital Plots). SNN111710.

<17> Bedford Borough Council HER, Undated, Bedford Borough NMP, MD003015 (Archive). SNN113023.

Record last edited

Feb 10 2025 7:51PM