Shropshire Routes to Roots

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Hedgerows and houses

4. Agriculture

How has farming changed in our area over time?

A photograph of Kenley fields [Opens in new window: image size 28kb]

Kenley fields
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[Original photograph - Routes to Roots]

The landscape we see today of fields and hedgerows is relatively recent. It is the landscape of enclosure. This was when the open fields and commons, which existed in the medieval period, were enclosed by hedges. This was the most important development in the post medieval landscape in this area.

In the early medieval period the landscape would have been quite different. Each village would have had a set of open fields, meadows and a common. This system of farming was a communal arrangement. Each village had three fields. Each of these fields were divided into strips or selions. Only two fields were cultivated at any one time the third field was fallow, or vacant, although cattle and sheep could be grazed on the field. Each strip (selion) measured about one acre. The strips were owned by individual farmers but not every one had an equal share. The greatest number of strips would have been owned by the Lord of the Manor.

Medieval Ridge and furrow
[With Kind permission of the family of Sheila Sancha]

Can we see where the open fields were in these parishes?

At Church Preen and Hughley traces of ridge and furrow, the remnants of the strips can still be seen. At Church Preen the common fields were to the west of the village on an area of boulder clay where Church Preen Manor park now lies. In good light the undulating surface of the ridges can still be seen. The location of the Open Fields at Kenley are unknown. In Hughley the fields were near to the village, but beyond the areas of the meadows which were close to the Brook.

The west field was by the Mill stream. The east field was between Colway and the road to the Edge. While the North field lay due east. By 1639 most of these fields had been enclosed. This photograph shows part of the East field. In good light remnants of ridge and furrow can still be seen in the fields at the base of Wenlock Edge.

A photograph of Hughley Open fields [Opens in new window: image size 40kb]

Hughley Open fields
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[Original photograph - Routes to Roots]

Was their any other common land?

Close to the brook in Hughley were the meadows for growing hay for the winter. Like the arable fields the meadows were divided up amongst the tenants' into strips known as doles.

A photograph of Kenley Common [Opens in new window: image size 43kb]

Kenley Common
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[Original photograph - Routes to Roots]

During the 16th century the Lords of Hughley and Kenley began to clear and enclose an area of woodland which became known as Kenley Common. This was an area of land where the tenants enjoyed grazing and gathering rights. A quarter of the common remained wooded which was used to create charcoal for an Iron furnace located near the brook.

On enclosure of the common, in 1793, 30 acres were alloted to the Rector of Kenley as Glebe land. This he divided into 10 lots to share out among the poor of the parish. The image on the left shows the Glebe land.

A photograph of Glebe land [Opens in new window: image size 28kb]

Glebe land
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[Original photograph - Routes to Roots]

What did enclosure mean for the tenant farmer?

The Enclosure Acts divided up the land which had previously been shared by the community. This effectively forced many small farmers off the land. To survive many had relied on the common land which they no longer had rights to. The acts made it necessary for all farmers to fence and or hedge their land. The small farmers who tended to get small plots of unproductive land could not afford to do this. Between 1747 and 1841 there was a great change in land use and field sizes. Much of the land which had been arable had reverted back to pasture by the end of the 19th century.

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Page created 2003 and last updated 30 July 2007

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