Originally published in 1981, The Origins of Open Field Agriculture looks at the problems connected with open field agriculture – the origins of strip cultivation, the three-field system, the adaptation of ‘Celtic’ fields, and the development of ploughing techniques. The book looks at the challenges to traditional ideas on the origins of settlement and their associated economy, and casts new light on understandings of village development. The book suggests that conventional views of the nucleated village, in the midst of open field strips as a product of the Anglo-Saxon migration, is no longer tenable. The book brings together the work of distinguished archaeologists, historians, and historical geographers and opens up a new perspective on the early development of medieval agriculture.
List of Figures and Plates
Preface
1. Archaeology and the Origins of Open-field Agriculture, C.C. Taylor
2. The Origins of Open-field Agriculture – The Archaeological Fieldwork Evidence, David Hall
3. Open-field Agriculture – The Evidence from the Pre-Conquest Charters of the West-Midlands, Della Hooke
4. Approaches to the Adoption of the Midland System, H.S.A. Fox
5. Commonfield Origins – The Regional Dimension, Bruce Campbell
6. The Interpretation of Subdivided Fields: A Study in Private or Communal Interests? Robert Dodgshon
7. Townfield Origins: The Case of Cockfield, Country Durham, Brian Roberts
8. The Evolution of Settlement and Open-field Topography in North Arden down to 1300, Victor Skipp
9. The Origin of Planned Field System in Holderness, Yorkshire, Mary Harvey
10. Early Customary Tenures in Wales and Open-field Agriculture, Glanville, R.J. Jones
Bibliography
Notes on Contributors
Index
The volumes in this set, originally published between 1938 and 1994, draw together research by leading academics in the area of medieval history and medieval literature, and provide a rigorous examination of related key issues. The volume examines medieval history from the early Middle Ages, right up until the Reformation, as well as the effect of the medieval period on later cultures, such as the Victorians. This collection draws together books on the monarchy, medieval philosophy, religion, art, music, psychology and architecture as well as volumes on medieval archeology. The collection also brings together key volumes on medieval literature of the period, with formative works examining medieval religious literature, medieval legends and oral tradition. The collection also includes titles examining specific poems from the period such as Piers Plowman, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and The Pearl, as well as volumes on influential writers of the period such as Jean Froissant, John Lydgate and Margery Kempe. This collection brings back into print a collection of insightful and detailed books on the diverse medieval period and will be a must have resource for academics and students, not only of history and literature, but of anthropology, music, psychology and religion.