Ridge and Furrow in Grendon, Northamptonshire

The term ridge and furrow is often used by archaeologists and others to describe the pattern of peaks and troughs created in a field and caused by the system of ploughing used during the Middle Ages in Britain. Early examples date to the immediate post-Roman period and the method survived until the seventeenth century in some areas. This ploughing style is also found in Ireland. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (3188x1308, 566 KB) Summary Ridge & Furrows in the Northamptonshire village of Grendon. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (3188x1308, 566 KB) Summary Ridge & Furrows in the Northamptonshire village of Grendon. ... // The village Grendon is a small village in rural Northamptonshire, England on the borders of Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire - with many houses made of the local limestone; various older thatched houses still survive. ... Archaeology or sometimes in American English archeology (from the Greek words αρχαίος = ancient and λόγος = word/speech) is the study of human cultures through the recovery, documentation and analysis of material remains, including architecture, artefacts, biofacts, human remains, and landscapes. ... The plough (American spelling: plow) is a tool used in farming for initial cultivation of soil in preparation for sowing seed or planting. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ...

The phenomenon was created as a result of the strip cultivation that was widely practised at the time whereby large fields were divided into long, narrow plots called furlongs. A furlong is 1/8th of a mile and is defined in British law as 201.168 metres. It is still found in horse racing today. It originally derived from the Old English words for a 'furrow length' and was then taken to mean a length of ploughing across an acre (4047 m²) of land and so its exact value would vary dependent on local constraints. The open field system was the prevalent agricultural system in Europe from the Dark Ages to as recently as the 20th century in places. ... The 5 furlong (1006 m) post on Epsom Downs A furlong is a measure of distance within Imperial units and U.S. customary units. ... Old English (also called Anglo-Saxon) is an early form of the English language that was spoken in parts of what is now England and southern Scotland between the mid-fifth century and the mid-twelfth century. ... An acre is the name of a unit of area in a number of different systems, including Imperial units and United States customary units. ...

History

Each strip would be cultivated separately by different families who would turn the ploughed soil into the centre of their strip by the continued use of a non-reversing plough, creating over many years raised ridges bounded by deep furrows. The turning of the plough at each end of the strip created the shape in plan of an elongated reversed S-shape. This effect was not accidental; the raised beds offered better drainage and the trench could mark the boundary between plots. Modern ploughing regimes are more efficient and deeper cutting, removing these features but in cases where cultivation ended or livestock farming was adopted, this rippled effect is still visible today in the landscape. As a result, it is useful evidence of past land-use and can occasionally indicate the sites of deserted medieval villages. fur·row Pronunciation: f&r-()O, f&-()rO Function: noun Etymology: Middle English furgh, forow, from Old English furh; akin to Old High German furuh furrow, Latin porca 1 a : a trench in the earth made by a plow b : plowed land : FIELD 2 : something that resembles the track of... In England there are reckoned to be more than 3,000 Deserted Medieval Village (DMV) sites. ...

Locations

Some of the best preserved ridge and furrow survives in the southern Midlands of England in the counties of: In general, the midlands of a territory are its central regions. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ...

• Northamptonshire,
• Oxfordshire and
• Warwickshire.

The ridge and furrow can have a height difference of 18 to 24 inches (0.5 to 0.6 m) in places and give a strongly rippled effect to the fieldscape. Northamptonshire (abbreviated Northants or Nhants) is a landlocked county in central England with a population of 629,676 (2001 census). ... Oxfordshire (abbreviated Oxon, from the Latinised form Oxonia) is a county in the South East of England, bordering on Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, and Warwickshire. ... A detailed map Stratford-upon-Avon Kenilworth Castle Warwickshire (pronounced //, //, or //) is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in central England. ...

Related forms

• rig and furrow,
• lazy beds,
• cord rig and
• run rig cultivation.
• Lynchets create a similar effect but are created by gravity on hillslopes subject to ploughing.
• Steam ploughing ridge and furrow looks like the medieval version but the ridges are usually broader and are always straight.