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In the medieval countryside almost all land was arable and each settlement had a 2 or 3 open field system subdivided into narrow strips by furrows. The normal medieval peasant held 60 -80 strips scattered throughout the furlongs of the parish. The smallest unit of cultivation was a strip called a ‘land’ averaging 8 x 200 yards. Strips varied in width from between 3 to 15 yards and in length from 15 to 400 yards. They were ploughed mainly clockwise leaving a 1ft ridge in the centre. Groups of lands with furrows running parallel were called furlongs and each furlong had a name. A furlong was an area of land varying in size depending on the terrain. The names of the Rushden furlongs are listed below.
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|
No
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Names at various dates 1400-1755 |
Meaning |
|
|
|
|
|
63
|
Aldereswell, auderswell, auterswell |
elder stream or Aldas stream |
|
96
|
Asshehull, ashwell |
ash hill |
|
37
|
Barley furlong, barley heye, barley benlond |
boar clearing, compounded with hedge and beanland |
|
|
Bassels |
|
|
28
|
Bisdene, bisdalle |
tributary valley from British 'twig' |
|
91
|
Blak fen, black fen |
black marsh |
|
90
|
Blakemyld, blackemylle |
black mire |
|
14
|
Blosicke, blowsycke close, blowsick |
Norse, dark brook |
|
11
|
Bradwell, bardwell syk, brode dale, brode corner, broadwell |
broad stream |
|
|
Braholme |
|
|
6
|
Braken |
bracken |
|
|
Brancroft |
burnt croft |
|
51
|
Broudenes, brounesden, brownesdale |
brown valley |
|
|
Barton headland |
personal name |
|
|
Cade croft |
personal name Cadda? |
|
|
Caldewell |
cold stream |
|
|
Cause, cawsey |
cause way |
|
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Chappelheueden |
headland of chaplain |
|
7
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Cheppyng waye, shipping way |
way to market |
|
30
|
Churche waye, church way |
way to church (land) |
|
|
Chilwell, chyldewell |
Cilda's stream |
|
77
|
Clay (well) |
clay (soil) |
|
20
|
Clayvys, cleyves, cleaves |
cliff, steep |
|
|
Clangers |
? |
|
|
Coldethorne |
thorn in cold spot |
|
|
Cowpyttes |
hollow or pit |
|
45
|
Croftes, c. land, c. end, crofts haydon, crafts |
land near village crofts (gardens) |
|
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Crosse |
near a cross |
|
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Dedland |
low land? |
|
43
|
Denes, den, denesydeacre, deans |
valleys |
|
35
|
Delves |
quarry |
|
|
Dolepittes |
|
|
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Dowpyte, d. Croft, dowpit, dewpit |
Norse, Duve's hollow |
|
41
|
Dufcoat hill |
dovecote hill |
|
|
Drewells bush |
personal name |
|
64
|
Fayr furlong, fair |
possible fair ground, probable fare (travel) |
|
|
Flower way |
? |
|
|
Flytland |
disputed land |
|
|
Four ways, foure weys |
cross roads |
|
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Fulstede, falsted, fawsted, fosted |
dirty or foul place |
|
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Furres |
furrows |
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Fumore |
? |
|
27
|
Galow hill |
site of manorial gallows |
|
54
|
Garleden, g. Hill, g. Hede, garden, garden hill |
clearing with gores (triangular pieces) |
|
38
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Grendelow, gryndelow, grynlow, grunlow, grundler |
green hill |
|
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Greneway, g. Low, g. Balk, g. Lane |
green way, road |
|
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Hamptonwey |
Northampton Road |
|
98
|
Harelond, harlands |
land with hares |
|
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Hawes |
|
|
26
|
Heigham highcross, handcross |
next to Handcross in Higham Ferrers |
|
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Hobys |
|
|
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Holowe, holowball, over holowe, halliwater cross |
hollow |
|
84
|
Holbrook, holebrook, hold brook |
|
|
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Harnes |
|
|
33
|
Horse balk, horse back |
|
|
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Hungerhull |
hungry (barren) hill |
|
93
|
Hie haden, Hydheueden, heigh havedon, high haden |
high heads |
|
|
Hylond |
|
|
31
|
Knoston benlond, K. Cross & delves, Knoston meere, corner & delves |
Knuston beanland etc. |
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Lanes end |
|
|
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Lang boden |
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|
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Larde wath crosse |
|
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57
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Long dene furlong, long dale, long den |
long valley |
|
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Longdehul |
long hill |
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58
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Long furlong |
long lands |
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Longwade |
long ford |
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Lytelbury |
little hill |
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76
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Lyttel dale everende, lyttuldale, l.d. Hollow, l. Dole, littel dale |
|
|
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Maysteriones pond |
personal name |
|
2
|
Medesegges |
meadow grasses |
|
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Mare, maredtch, more |
mere, boundary |
|
17
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Millehol, mylnhole, mill hole |
low place at mill |
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Middelholowe, midell furlong |
middle low place |
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Myddel crowden |
middle crow valley |
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Myldcroft |
mold (soil) croft |
|
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Netherend croft, brigge |
lower end croft & bridge |
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Nethertownesende |
lower end of town |
|
5
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New dich, new diche |
new ditch |
|
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Newtonpath |
path or road to Newton |
|
72
|
Nepyndale, ependale, nipingdale |
drooping (steep?) valley |
|
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Overthwart path |
upper cross path |
|
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Parsoncroft endes |
croft near rectory |
|
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Pescroft end, peaslade |
croft & slade for peas |
|
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Plumtre well, plumterley well |
plumtree stream |
|
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Portwey furlong |
way to market |
|
55
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Potterlow, potter slade, pottelow, petels |
hill of the potters |
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Poucheres land |
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|
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Puttaker hadon |
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8
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Queche, quech |
marsh |
|
80
|
Redsonde, redsand, redland, redrand galls |
red sandy ground |
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Ricmones heueden |
personal name |
|
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Riggeway |
ridge way |
|
67
|
Rivy, ryves |
bank |
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23
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Rocke, rockle, rolkyl, rolkey, rockwell |
probably rook stream |
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34
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Rowdych furlong, rowdiche busshe, rowley slade, runlow, roulets slade |
possibly roe ditch, probably crooked ditch from 'wra' |
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25
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Sand pyttes, sand pit furlong |
sand pit |
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Shaly, shaly hyll |
clearing on a hill |
|
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Shylswell |
shallow stream |
|
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Shetelhedland |
|
|
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Smaldene |
little valley |
|
35
|
Smal grene |
little green |
|
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Smal thyrne |
|
|
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Sossecroft |
|
|
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Sowepittes |
for Dowpittes above? |
|
46
|
Southend crofts, south end croft |
gardens of South End |
|
24
|
Spetelbrigge, s. Hedge, s. Causeway, spyttell hedge, spittell meare, s. Hadon |
leper hospital of St. James |
|
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Stoncross, stone hill |
stone hill |
|
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Stotesfoldhull |
studfold hill |
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Sultropston |
Souldrop (boundary) stone |
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Swenes |
|
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16
|
Synmede furlong |
|
|
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Thiris pytts, thrust pytt, thruspit |
Norse Thuri's pit |
|
1
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Threlowhill, trelow, frelow hill |
three hills (barrows) |
|
22
|
Threthornes, thorns, treethorns |
three thorn bushes |
|
|
Tofteweys |
|
|
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Tolysland |
|
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59
|
Typpuldene, typpul well, t. Hole, tipwell deans |
Tibba's well valley |
|
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Water dale & gall |
wet valley |
|
47
|
Wemyngton crosse, W. Path, Wemmyngton meere, Wimington meer |
Wymington boundary & path |
|
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Westmore |
|
|
81
|
Woldes lowe, wolse, wolsoe, wolsowe furze, wulso, wolsoe, wolroe, woolroe |
wood hill |
|
18
|
Wranlands, wronglands, ranglands |
twisty lands |
|
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Wulfe |
|
|
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Wylmylnehull |
windmill hill |
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