Elsdon : Field System

Elsdon is surrounded by extensive remains of medieval and early modern open field system. This field system is shown on the 1731 enclosure and 1839 tithe maps and can be traced on the aerial photographs.

The maps show that township's 'ancient' enclosed lands extended outwards in several very irregular salents, following the valleys of the Elsdon, Whiskershiel Burn, Landshot and Park Burns, to embrace a number of dispersed farmsteads which surrounded the village at distances of between 0.9km and 3.1km. These comprise Redshaw and Knightside to the south west, Dunshield, Low Carrick and 'Heirshouse' to the north west, Bowershield, North and South Riding, and Hudspeth to the north east and Landshott, East and West Todholes, Whiskershield, Whitlees and East Nook to the east.

Many of these sites, such as Hudspeth and Carrick, are mentioned in medieval sources (cf. Hodgson 1827, 93-4), demonstrating that the township, even in this period, did not simply consist of a single nucleated settlement. The -shield suffix incorporated in three of these placenames suggest they originated as seasonal shelters. Their proximity to the village would seem to rule out any association with long distance transhumance and instead these sites most likely provided shelter for those tending and milking livestock pastured on the common moorland during spring and summer (cf. Winchester 2000, 92-3). In contrast, North and South Riding were evidently farmsteads established in what was initially a large clearance - riding or assart - made in the waste or common.

The topography of Elsdon Ward, with high moorlands surrounding the village on three sides, as described in the introductory section, meant that only to the west and south west did Elsdon's enclosed lands adjoin those of neighbouring townships, specifically the lands attached to outlying farmsteads of Otterburn and Monkridge Wards respectively (e.g. Soppit, Haining and Raylees).

Two corridors of 'common or waste' (as it is labelled on early 19th century maps) at the north and south ends of the village formed droveways providing unfettered access from the green through the enclosed land to the unenclosed pastures beyond. These thus gave access to a range of complementary grazing resources, the hill pastures to the north of the village and a stretch of low lying grassland on the south side of the burn as well as yet more high moorland to the south and south east, towards Steng Cross and Manside Cross (Conzen 1969, 76).

Additional common lay to the east, which was accessible only by crossing enclosed ground, but this may largely have been exploited by the adjacent farmsteads/hamlets of Landshott and Hudspeth.

The four law suits listed in 1292 (cf. Hodgson 1827, 27-8) may be totalled up to give some indication of the extent of cultivation in Elsdon township in 1292.

It should be emphasised that this probably does not represent the full extent of land holding in Elsdon in that year.  Some holdings most probably do not figure amongst the disputed estates. That held by Richard, 'son of William', in 1242 and by John, 'son of William' (perhaps the surname Fitzwilliam), in 1325 for example.

Moreover, the inclusion of substantial acreages of pasture, meadow and woodland in addition to ploughland and messuages is to be expected if these actually represent viable manorial estates. It is possible that in the cases where holdings were recorded comprising only a carucate of land or a carucate and one or more messuages, these represent abbreviated versions of the full estate and that generally all such holdings were associated with parcels of meadow, woodland and pasture.

Hence these totals listed above can only be regarded as minimum figures and they may well underweight non-arable land as a proportion of the total. Even so the proportion of pasture and meadow to arable land (almost 10:1) is striking with a further sizeable acreage of woodland providing pannage for pigs as well as building timber and firewood. Together this suggests that the township's principal wealth lay in its livestock.