The distribution of land in the demesne area in 1580 is given in the following tables. The information is taken from Tables 47 and 48 in Professor Chibnall’s book “Sherington: Fiefs and Fields of a Buckinghamshire Village”. The units are ‘Acres’. See also: Distribution of land in the Open Fields
Arable Land – Windmill Field
Linford Manor | Mercers’ Manor | Cave/Fitzjohn Manors | |||
Nether Berrye piece | 18 | Park Gate furlong | 1 | Mercers’ wood piece | 11 |
Upper Berrye piece | 24 | Crow’s nest or Dawes Gap furlong | 2 | Furlong abutting on Fullows Close | 3 |
Gore Leys piece | 20 | Furlong under Mr Catesby’s Wood | 9 | Furlong abutting on Gore Leys | 1 |
Sims Heynes piece | 1 | Sims Heynes piece | 9 | ||
Dawes Gap furlong | 2 | Dawes Gap furlong | 6 | ||
Gowles Corner piece | 8 | Gowles nether piece | 11 | ||
Burnt Leys piece | 12 | Under wood furlong | 2 | ||
Gore piece | 5 | ||||
TOTAL | 85 | TOTAL | 12 | TOTAL | 48 |
Total = 145 acres
Arable Land – Middle Field
Linford Manor | Mercers’ Manor | Cave/Fitzjohn Manors | |||
Piece abutting on Winyards slade | 6 | Winyards furlong | 12 | ||
Piece abutting on Winyards slade | 8 | Mr Mountgomery’s Dean | 12 | ||
Furlong abutting on Olney Way | 4 | Furlong abutting on Olney Way | 8 | ||
Long Doles furlong | 12 | Long Doles furlong | 6 | ||
Crabbe’s piece | 11 | Spiney piece | 6 | ||
Little Hill piece | 12 | ||||
Piece shooting east to Little Hill | 2 | ||||
Piece abutting east of Mercers’ wood | 8 | ||||
Spiney bushes piece | 7 | ||||
TOTAL | 70 | TOTAL | 0 | TOTAL | 44 |
Total = 114 acres
Arable Land – Marehill Field
Linford Manor | Mercers’ Manor | Cave/Fitzjohn Manors | |||
Mr Ardes’s Dean | 27 | Mr Mountgomery’s Dean | 20 | ||
Willow bed furlong | 2 | Willow bed furlong | 3 | ||
TOTAL (excluding Hazlemead) | 29 | TOTAL | 0 | TOTAL | 23 |
Hazlemead furlong | 10 | Hazlemead furlong | 6 | Hazlemead furlong | 7 |
TOTAL | 39 | TOTAL | 6 | TOTAL | 30 |
Total = 52 acres, plus 23 acres in Hazlemead. Hazlemead lies to the west of the Olney Road so is not in the main demesne area.
Arable Land – Totals
excl Hazlemead | incl Hazlemead | |
Linford Manor | 184 | 194 |
Mercers’ Manor | 12 | 18 |
Cave/Fitzjohn Manors | 115 | 122 |
TOTAL | 311 | 334 |
Closes/Pasture
Linford Manor | Mercers’ Manor | Cave/Fitzjohn Manors | Thomas Tyringham and Lord Mordaunt | ||||
Far Coneygre | 5 | Bancroft Close | 8 | Cow Close | 20 | Close N of Great Stocking, known later as Briant’s Green |
10 |
Nether Coneygre | 6 | Fullows Close | 4 | New or Hay Close | 20 | Tyringham Close to north east of above |
16 |
Leasows, New Orchard and Home Close |
8 | Marshall’s Close | 1 1⁄2 | Winyards Close | 2 | Duke’s Dry Bank | 11 |
Bury Close | 5 1⁄2 | Manor and Home Closes | 4 1⁄2 | Mr Mountgomery’s Grove Close | 6 1⁄2 | Duke’s Wood Close | 7 |
Great Stockings | 23 | Sims Heynes Close | 2 | Park Gate Close | 2 | ||
Two Little Stockings | 12 | Spicer’s Mead | 2 1⁄2 | Church Yard Close | 1 3⁄4 | ||
Gowles Close | 16 | Church End Close | 1 1⁄4 | Church End Close | 3 | ||
Close behind wood | 12 | Course’s Close | 1 1⁄4 | ||||
Jaggins Close | 2 | ||||||
Mowell’s Close | 3 | ||||||
New Diggins | 2 | ||||||
TOTAL | 94 1⁄2 | TOTAL | 25 | TOTAL | 55 1⁄4 | TOTAL | 44 |
Total = 218 3⁄4 acres
Maps:
Complete map of Sherington in 1580.
Larger scale maps of the four quadrants: North West, North East, South West, South East.
Note that there are a number of detailed discrepancies between the information on the map and that given in the tables.
In 1580, farming followed a 3-year cycle. The arable land was therefore divided into three fields: Marehill Field, Middle Field and Windmill Field. The division is shown on the Field map